A Millennia of Change
by CrescentMoonTenshi
Summary: Just an alphabet series with an actual plot. This is a story about Ciel maturing as a demon, with Sebastian at his side. We learn about the laws of Hell, and the life of a demon. Ciel goes through several emotional/character traits, and then physical changes. But what happens when Ciel begins to skip some? And why is Sebastian looked down at in the demon world? ON PAUSE!
1. Introduction

_**A Millennia of Change**_

**Hello, minna-san! You can call me Crescent or Crescent T. This is my first Kuroshitsuji fic, and I'm proud to say that I know where I'm going with it. I would like to thank you for clicking on this story and trying it out! You're awesome! **

**Just so everyone knows, everything in the manga so far has occurred. The only extra things from the anime is that Ciel is a demon, Pluto is a character, and that Ciel never left the manor. For fans of Alois and Claude, I apologize. I don't think they'll be in this story unless is absolutely calls for it. **

**Before I forget, I do not own Kuroshitsuji. All credit goes to the author and publishers. Thanks! **

**Enjoy~ **

**Chapter name**: _**Learning about Hell**_

**Normal POV **

Faded sunlight struggled to stream through the wine red curtains in the bedroom of Ciel Phantomhive. The young demon hummed a low moan and turned over onto his side in between the silk sheets. He curled into a ball and firmly shut his eyes in hopes to get more sleep. Not that he needed it at all. Sleeping was just a time killer, and even a force of habit from his life as a human. Ciel sighed and sat up in the bed, recalling how Sebastian had once told him that sleep was a luxury for demons.

A light knock echoed through the room. "Young master, it is time to wake up." Came Sebastian's tenor toned voice through the wooden door.

Ciel slowly turned his head to the door as a silver cart came in, and behind it, his ever emotionless butler. Sebastian glanced at him once before slightly widening his eyes in mild surprise. "My my, young master, you make such a cute morning face." He chuckled softly.

Ciel glared at his butler. "Shut up." He commanded lowly.

"Yes, my Lord." Came the monotone reply. Ever since Ciel had became a demon, he was...cold. Almost unreachable... Even by his butler. In other words, Ciel was thinking too highly of himself. Especially since he knew nothing of the demon world.

Sebastian silently handed a cup of tea to his young master and continued to prepare the breakfast on the silver cart. Ciel took a whiff of the tea and frowned deeply. "What type of tea is this?" He asked. When Sebastian was silent, the young demon growled. "I asked you a question Sebastian! Answer it!"

The elder, dark haired demon looked into his master's eyes emotionlessly. "I decided to allow you to try Rosé Tea for once to stimulate your senses." He said shortly. Sebastian quietly handed his master the morning's breakfast.

Ciel huffed an annoyed sigh before chomping on the scones provided with the main dish. Once Ciel had finished, Sebastian came out of the closet with the day's clothing. The morning ritual began. Undress Ciel from his night shirt, help him into the blouse, pants, then vest, and tie/bow. Next put on his stockings and shoes, and finally, his jacket and eye patch. With these steps, Ciel was ready for whatever this boring planet could throw at him.

A sudden explosion rumbled through the house, and Ciel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go see that the mess is cleaned up immediately Sebastian." He ordered, before heading to his office. Sebastian eyed his master once before bowing and departing.

Ciel opened the wooden door to his office, feelings of nostalgia passing through him. He'd stopped using this office several months ago... When he became a monster. Bright sunlight passed through the large windows, and one remained open. A small and inviting breeze blew through out the room. Ciel closed the door behind him and slumped on it, head in his right hand. The boy panted hard for a moment before his breathing evened out again. His head was lately being filled with a throbbing pain, obviously a migraine. Though why it happened was the mystery. He'd hardly done anything this morning... So why would he have such a terrible headache? Was he sick? Was his asthma relapsing? Ciel had no idea what was wrong with himself. He only knew that if he was in the presence of Sebastian, it quickly faded.

The little demon fell into the swivel chair at his desk and turned it until he was facing the windows. He knew that a stack of paperwork awaited him on the desk... But he wasn't bothered. Ciel remembered that he always ordered Sebastian to do the work when he didn't use the office. Sebastian knew what Ciel would do. The slate haired boy slumped low in his chair. His headache was getting worse. Thousands of needles seemed to be prickling at his skull, trying to make holes so that his brain might escape. Ciel felt light headed... His throat was burning, and black spots were clouding his vision. The boy demon felt his head fall hard onto the desk's surface before the world went black.

'My, was it dark.' He thought, under the watery surface of consciousness.

Ciel, feeling as though he was breaking through the surface of water, finally regained consciousness. Sebastian was sitting in a straight backed, wooden chair next to the bed, changing the wet towel on his forehead every once in a while. His throat still felt dry, and his head still hurt, but he was feeling much better.

"Sebastian..." He murmured when the servant sat down on the chair and relaxed again.

The wine-eyed man looked to the face of his master with surprise. "That was faster than I thought it would take." He murmured.

Ciel weakly screwed up his face. "What does that mean?" He demanded.

"Young master.. There are things I should begin to teach you as an elder demon." Sebastian said seriously. "Rules of Hell, and the life process of a demon is very important. I fear that I've been avoiding the topic much longer than I should've." Sebastian cleared his throat. "Hell, being a place full of sins, has very few rules." He began.

Ciel payed very close attention, acting as though it were one of his educational lessons. He sat up in bed and made Sebastian rearrange the pillows so that he'd be comfortable. "Continue." He nodded sharply.

The elder demon sighed inaudibly. "Things that are forbidden by the laws of Hell are encouraging pure love between humans, encouraging good, and not filling your quota of souls/or whatever method of feeding for that year. There are others, but these are the ones you should worry about the most. To be perfectly honest young master, almost anything goes in the demon world. As long as you never encourage God and Angels and His way to any humans." Sebastian checked to make sure Ciel understood. The young master nodded. "That's truly all you must worry about for the rules of Hell. Otherwise you'd be stripped of your rank and thrown into the pit of flames where human souls are tortured."

Ciel nodded in understanding. "If that's all, would you hurry up and tell me why I've been having these bloody headaches?" The sapphire eyed boy frowned deeply.

"Oh that's quite simple young master. You are a demon, therefore, you are hungry for something from a human." Sebastian chuckled. "If you'd said something earlier, I could have gone out and gotten you a bit of soul to feed on."

Ciel glared. "That's utterly disgusting."

Sebastian looked surprised. "On the contrary, it's quite delicious. Better than human food anyway."

"Tell me more Sebastian. Why do I get hungry like this? When will I be able to feed for myself?" Ciel asked, clutching the sheets around him into his fists. "These headaches are an absolute nuisance." The boy glared at the sheets.

"Young master... Feeding on your own is impossible right now." Sebastian said gently.

"And why is that?!" The boy demanded. He was so frustrated with the idea of being treated like child. Even after gaining the power of a demon. This wasn't what he'd expected. This wasn't what the result should've been after suffering through his own personal Hell with Alois and Claude. He wanted to eat for goodness sakes! He was hungry!

"You haven't matured yet." Sebastian answered simply. "Which brings me to the life process of a demon." He began. Ciel calmed down, not allowing himself to be irked so easily.

"The faster we get through this, the faster I can get something to feed on, correct?" Ciel asked, bringing his head to look at his butler in the eye. The child slumped back into the pillows as Sebastian nodded. "Continue then."

"When a demon is born, they have no idea of their rank yet. Unless they were born from two demons in the same type." Sebastian explained.

"And the ranks are...?" Ciel prompted.

"Underneath the Devil is a pureblood. Those are true demons that feed solely on human souls." Sebastian brought his eyes over to Ciel. "I am a part of that rank." The young demon's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. "Underneath a pureblood is a vampire. These feed only on human blood as they do in the myths. Underneath that, is the werewolf type." Sebastian's face twisted into a look of distaste. "These are any demons that have to do with animals, such as Pluto. He ranks there. These disgusting dogs feed on human flesh only." Ciel frowned as he remembered what Pluto liked to eat best; raw meat.

"Is that all?" Ciel asked, taking a piece of candy on the night stand and popping it into his mouth. His butler 'tsked' at him.

"No. The very bottom rank is the Untouchables. Most demons rank here. There are mindless, zombie-like creatures that feed on anything left over. Bones, organs... Or sometimes left over flesh from the werewolf rank. Our ranks in the demon world, as you could see, are based on the human body. Whatever tastes best is at the top. It is quite ironic since almost all of us loathe humans. Do you recall studying India young master?"

"Yes, of course. Ever since Soma has barged into my relatively peaceful life, I've paid a bit more attention to India. I fear the moment the country has trouble, the idiot prince will come running and crying to me for help. Him and his strange butler, Agni." Ciel snorted, glad to portray some of his left over dignity. He felt inferior while talking to Sebastian about this entire ordeal. It was as though he was being taught how to write his name on a piece of paper.

"Do you recall their Caste system? That only occurred because half of the population during that time was filled with demons, since Hell almost moves underneath the surface of the Earth. It is a difficult concept to grasp, even for me, so I shall not go into detail. My point is that in the demon world, once you are born into a rank, you are stuck there forever. The only ones that my move up are Untouchables. They may move up to the werewolf rank once they've gotten smarter. Though that event rarely occurs, counting at one every millennia."

"I see." Ciel hummed as he nodded his head. "And what am I ranked at?"

Sebastian hummed a bit before answering. "That is one of the strange points of growing up as a demon. You wouldn't know your rank until you mature, young master. As a demon, you mature mentally first. I should think that it should occur soon for you." Sebastian cupped his chin in thought for a moment, as though doing difficult calculations.

"And how does a demon mature mentally? It's obvious that Finnian has matured, though he acts like a child." Ciel pointed out.

"I'm glad you've recognized that point, young master." The elder demon praised. "Maturing is one way that humans and demons differ from one another. A demon will mature mentally by going through about thirty different emotions. Simple really. Anger, bluntness, and other emotions. You might even go through several character traits, like being secretive." Sebastian chuckled slyly. "You'll definitely have to go through lust, young master. I know you won't enjoy that one, but it should prove to be very entertaining. We would find out who you lust for." Ciel turned tomato red. All the way down to his neck.

"W-w-what?!" The red faced boy sputtered. "Se-Sebastian!" He scolded, throwing his face into his hands. The elder butler shifted in his chair as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"Young master, just because one of your deepest secrets will be exposed doesn't mean you should be embarrassed." He snickered.

"Whatever!" The boy snapped, face still a dark scarlet color. "Continue with your lesson!"

"Of course. Well, after maturing mentally, a month will go by. At that point, the body matures. It would be the same as maturing if you were still human. Depending on your rank, you might get an extra... Extension... To your body." Sebastian struggled for the correct word.

"Extension?"

"Oh simple things like fangs, a tail, claws... You might even get wings." Sebastian shrugged a bit.

"I see." Ciel nodded. "So is that 'extension' what reveals what rank I'll stand in?" He asked.

Sebastian nodded approvingly. "You catch on quickly, young master. It's either the extension, or behavior changes. For example, if you were of werewolf ranking, then you'd react strangely to touching a human's flesh. A vampire would have a thirst more painful then death. In my rank, you suffer from weakness until fed. The untouchables remain hungry no matter how much they are fed, as though they were fire."

Ciel smiled crookedly. "Sebastian? Weak? That will be the day." He teased. "I wish I had some pictures..." He sighed dramatically. "Is that all I need to know Sebastian?" He asked after a moment of silence.

Sebastian bobbed his head. "Yes, my Lord."

"Perfect. Now leave me alone. I should like to think things over a bit. This information is overwhelming. Therefore, I'd like to have time to process this into my schedule."

Sebastian hid a smile. "Young master, you won't know when it'll hit. You can't possibly work it into your schedule."

Ciel looked bewildered. "Of course I can. I simply have to make sure that whatever appointments for the next three months can be easily canceled or that I can escape from it easily. Three months should be a long enough span..." He said aloud to himself.

Sebastian smiled a bit before bowing with his hand over his heart. The jet-black butler left the room. "Now, to continue my administrative work."

Sebastian sat down at his desk, sighing deeply. Thoughts of Ciel's upcoming maturing raced through his mind. The elder demon knew it was coming. And very, very, soon. He could smell it. The change in his master's scent was evidence enough. The sweet smell of roses and desserts that used to follow Ciel around like a shadow, was now becoming more spicy and dull. The scent of an adult. Though the scent of vanilla was what troubled him the most. Sebastian quickly picked up his quill pen and finished his work as he thought. He was insanely worried for his master. But that was just as insane. Him. A top ranked demon directly under the Devil. He was at the very top of his classes in academics, butler-ing, and physical education in the demon world. How could he, a top demon, possibly be so worried about a mere human? No. He wasn't human... He was a demon. Albeit an immature, cocky, and demanding demon, but nevertheless, a demon.

For the first time in his life, Sebastian was confused about his emotions. The butler sighed heavily as he finished the last of his paperwork.

'Oh my, this will be much more trouble then I had originally hoped for...' The elder demon thought.

Meanwhile, Ciel was still sitting in his bed, turning the thoughts of today's lesson around in his mind. He snickered as he labeled the lesson, "All about Hell and the Lives of Demons." That was a lesson he never thought he'd have to learn.

After calming down a bit, he began to think. It was extremely troublesome to have this maturing, but even more so to be unable to feed properly. And having to go through about thirty different emotions/character traits was like a girl going through her first monthly cycle. Ciel shivered at the thought.

Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Maybe something good will come out of the entire ordeal. Ciel sighed with annoyance before throwing himself back into the pillows and closing his eyes. Before he knew it, he'd fallen into a dreamless slumber.

My my, what a horrible, yet enlightening day.

**Aaaaaaannnnnnd cut! That's a wrap! Thanks for reading! I'm really sorry if anyone was confused. I understand that there's a lot of information to process here. However, I believed that it was unavoidable because it really helps move the chapter and story along. **

**Honestly, not my best work. But writing beginnings are usually the most difficult for me. I think this chapter's boooooor~ing! It has no feeling! T^T**

**Anyway, thanks for taking your time to read. I really hope you can drop a review before clicking out of this story. Thanks a bunch in advance! **

**~Crescent T. **


	2. As a Child Matures: Anger

**AMC.2**

**Hello! I'm assuming you haven't lost interest in this story because of last chapter's boringness if you're here. Thanks a lot for reading! I hope you like this chapter more than the other. I'm posting today because I'm bored and can't bring myself to write my other fanfics right now... T^T **

**Disclaimer: *slams palms on desk* Excuse me, Your Honor! I clearly stated in the first chapter that I did not own Kuroshitsuji. I do not understand why the plaintiff is trying to sue me! All credit goes to the author and publishers, correct? Why are we wasting time here? **

**Onwards with the story! Fight-o! Fight-o!**

* * *

_**Chapter name: **_**As a Child Matures: Anger**

* * *

**Normal POV **

Sebastian, the Phantomhive butler, was making lunch for his master. It had been two weeks since he and his master had had 'the talk'. Flour and yeast flew into the plastic bowl in his hands, and the color white flashed as he tossed various ingredients into it. His master was sick in bed today. A terrible fever had overcome him. That wasn't what made Sebastian worried though. The demon chewed on his bottom lip as he thought. His scent. It was changing by the second. Lily of the Vally scented candles were out in the room for a source of comfort. The demon quickly whipped the batter in the bowl and set it in a tin pan. It pained Sebastian to see his master in such a weak state.

The last he'd seen, a small chest was rising and falling quickly and heavily underneath the quivering covers. It was most likely freezing cold to Ciel. The boy had described that his organs were quivering and felt as though they were filed with ice cold water. Sweat decorated his skin in beads. A head-splitting migraine was present, and his skin burned. Worst of all, his muscles twitched so horribly, it was as though he had no control over them. The slate haired boy was so weak, he couldn't even scream.

Sebastian hurriedly changed his gloves, rolled down his sleeves, and threw on his tail coat. Thinking so much about Ciel's symptoms had made him eager to see the boy. Perhaps his fever had gone down. It was at 105 F last he'd checked. With this thought, Sebastian snatched up the thermometer and dashed to his young master's room. He knocked twice.

"Young master, I'm coming in." He warned, right before opening the door. The elder demon gasped in shock. The entire room was in shreds!

Books were thrown on the floor and torn apart. Same with clothes. Curtains were shredded, and pieces of them were lying on the floor. Marks that seemed to have been made by nails were decorating the footboard of the canopy bed. An entire window was shattered. Worst of all, a panting Ciel Phantomhive stood in the middle of it all.

"Young master...?" Sebastian examined the mess. "My my, what a large mess you've made. What would've irked you so to have done this?" The jet black butler asked as he stepped forward and began to clean up.

"I just watched as Finnian destroyed my garden of white roses." The boy growled lowly. His eyes were red, claws extended, and small fangs pointed out of his mouth. Ciel collapsed onto the floor. "Sebastian... My body is extremely hot..." He complained. "Yet it's unbearably cold." The boy shivered and shook as he slowly crawled for the comforter on his bed. He kept his stomach to the ground, and curled up as much as possible while he moved. It was almost as though he was afraid to lose anymore body heat.

Sebastian, unable to bear watching his master suffer from illness (if it were something else it'd be quite entertaining), quickly grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around Ciel's body. The boy thrashed immediately in Sebastian's arms.

"Put me down, you fool! I refuse to be treated like a child! You act as though I am inferior to you even though you're the butler! Put me down this instant Sebastian! I'm not a baby that you can wrap in blankets and put to bed!" He hollered, kicking his feet and throwing around random punches with tiny fists.

Sebastian sighed before dumping his master onto the bed. After calming down his master, he quickly tided up the room and sat down at the chair near the bedside. "Honestly, young master, you seem to he angered easily today."

"Are you calling me emotional Sebastian?!" The boy demanded immediately, fierce ruby colored eyes glaring at the butler with all their might. 'If looks could kill.' Came to Sebastian's mind.

"Goodness me, no!" The jet-black butler exclaimed. "I shall explain to you, young master, what exactly is occurring with your emotions today." Sebastian crossed his legs and folded his hands neatly on his knee.

"Go on then!" The young demon snapped from within his protective cocoon of blankets.

"It has been two weeks since we last discussed it, but this is the beginning of your maturing. From dawn to dusk you will go through several emotions/character traits." Sebastian explained, looking deeply into his master's eyes. The eye patch had been lost within the tornado the had passed within the room. Two now sapphire eyes stared at him from inside a dark cocoon.

"Will I ever get a break from it all?!" The mini-demon demanded.

"On Sundays, when the power of God is strongest, demons lose their powers during the day. At that time, you will get a short break from the maturing process. Today, young master, your subconscious has chosen anger as a weak point within yourself. By going through this process, you will learn to cope with your anger. It is only for today, and there are only four hours until six o'clock. If you rest in bed today, you should be just fine. Whatever you do, do not open the door to any of the other servants." Sebastian warned.

"And who are you to order me around?! Just who do you think you are?! Just a pawn in my games!" Ciel screeched at Sebastian, and the butler narrowed his eyes. He quickly leaned close to the little angry boy.

"Young master, you seem to have gotten more cocky than normally now a days. Do we need to remind you of the place you stand?" He purred. His mouth at the child's earlobe. Ciel shivered involuntarily at the venom dropping from the butler's tone of voice. The boy was tense. "I thought the message was clearly conveyed when I described the rankings of the demon world to you... I am not just a butler, Ciel Phantomhive... Wake up from your little fantasy, spoiled brat." The demon said harshly. When Ciel blinked again, Sebastian's ever cold smirk was gone, taking the butler along with it.

Ciel sat rigidly as the past events replayed in his mind repeatedly. He clenched his teeth and fists. "None of it would've happened in the first place if it wasn't for your failure in saving me from the clutches of Alois Trancy. It's your fault that I am being forced to live an extremely long life and that I became a demon. It's only right that you repay for it by becoming my eternal butler." Ciel said slowly through his clenched teeth. "It's all your fault Sebastian!" He exclaimed, tearing at the pillow in his lap. Feathers danced around him as he angrily kept ripping, and tears gathered at his eyes.

A sudden noise made the child jump. It was a clock. Ciel listened to the toll of the bell. One... Two... Three... Only three hours left until it's night officially. Ciel only threw a pillow at the clock to stifle its gong-like tolls.

It was as though Ciel was under a spell, because he began to reflect on his actions previously.

* * *

He felt completely tired... And hot. Most of all, he was extremely enraged. To be honest, he was angry with his entire situation! Living with a demon butler for years to get revenge... Only to unexpectedly live and become victim to the transformation of a demon! He was angry at Sebastian, who'd sworen that he'd always protect Ciel until the day that he feasted on his soul. Yet, Ciel was left all alone in the deepest, darkest, depths of his subconscious, where he relived horrible, horrible memories until he went mad. It had been so, so, dark. Not a single shaft of light anywhere else but on his small, floating chessboard platform. He'd been almost drowned in solitude... Until he realized he could take control of his body somewhat.

Ciel took the book he was reading and chucked it against the wall. It made a large noise and fell helplessly to the ground. The boy rose from his bed in sheer anger as more thoughts ran through his head.

The point was that Sebastian had failed. He'd breeched the contract, yet the youngling was still prepared to let the demon devour his soul. That was until he'd discovered that he was cursed to the life of a demon himself. Because of one simple failure, he'd given up so much. That was the root of his anger. The fact that he had to give up so much because of a simple loss of an arm. His soul had been easily stolen and shoved into a box made for tea. Disgusting.

The boy growled. Everything was the fault of his damn demon butler. He was utterly cursed to this life and was forced to live a lifespan he that didn't know how long it was supposed to last. He tore at the curtains angrily, despising the dark red color of them. He kept tearing. "Damn you, Claude. Damn you, Alois. Damn you, Hannah. And _you_. Alois's kid brother... You started it all..." Ciel tore at the other curtain with such force that that half of it tore off. He went over to the next thing on his wall, which happened to contain his bookshelf.

"If that child hadn't wanted to make a contract with Hannah, then Alois would've never have found me. That _stupid, stupid, stupid_...!" Ciel threw several books to the door and tore out serval pages. One flew out of the window and completely shattered it. "Stupid village never would've burned! Alois never would've made it to that old pedophile's home, never would've made a contract with Claude, and never would've found _me_!" Ciel moved to the next closest thing, which was his footboard, and blindly began to claw at it.

His hand accidentally fell upon a few pieces of clothing that sat innocently at his bed. Immediately, he began to tear it, enjoying the ripping noise and imagining that he was ripping apart that child's soul. Over and over again he cursed that child. Then his mind suddenly switched topics.

Over and over he cursed Sebastian. He cursed that demon for hating him so strongly after tricking him into becoming his butler for all eternity. He continuously ripped at anything he could find in blind anger, destroying it all with his bare hands. He'd never felt such blood-boiling and hot anger streaming through his veins. Ciel stood in the middle of his room, panting as he looked at his mess.

Sebastian suddenly opened the door to his bedroom. "Young master...?" The black butler examined the mess. "My my, what a large mess you've made. What would've irked you so to have done this?" The jet black butler asked as he stepped forward and began to clean up.

"I just watched as Finnian destroyed my garden of white roses." He lied smoothly, growling lowly.

And just like that, his few minutes of hot anger disappeared.

* * *

Ciel clambered out of bed and crawled to the window, finding himself too weak to walk with his fever. He threw it open and allowed the gentle, swirling breeze to caress his delicate skin. Ciel sighed, feeling that burning fury from before begin to melt away into the depths of his subconscious. Where it belonged in the first place. Little by little, he began to forget why he was so angry, and didn't feel as though he would blow at the next words heard.

Ciel had fallen asleep at the window seat before his butler returned with a luncheon on the breakfast cart. Sebastian briefly explained what the food was and then asked if Ciel needed any assistance eating. To which the child had snapped at saying that, 'I am not a baby! I can feed myself, you fool!' Sebastian merely bowed, stoney faced, and left the room once more.

The lunch was a potato soup, dotted with other healthy vegetables to rid his body of the fever. Ciel dipped bits of Italian bread in it and ate it carefully. Once completely finished, he stood before the cart, glaring down at it for all it was worth.

'It shouldn't be to difficult to move the cart closer to the door correct?' He asked himself, chewing slightly on his bottom lip. Besides, he was way to used to Sebastian keeping it away from the middle of the room as he ate his food. He was only doing this out of habit. Absolutely not to make his butler's job a bit easier.

Filled with determination, the slate-haired boy began pushing the cart the same way he'd seen Sebastian do it every morning. Lucky for him, the cart wheeled both ways, or he'd be pushing it incorrectly. Ciel panted as he tried to inch it closed to the door. He groaned and moaned as the attempts proved futile. Deciding to put a bit of his newfound demon abilities to use, he tried a different tactic and pushed once more. This time the cart gave way easily. However... It crashed straight into the wall next to the door.

Ciel sweat-dropped. "That'll take some getting used to..." He sighed, face-palming gently.

Suddenly, black spots appeared around the corners of his vision, and he felt light-headed. Ciel let his eyelids droop before he fell forward with a light moan. The boy crashed onto the floor with a sickeningly loud thud. His head connecting hard with the floor.

* * *

When Ciel looked at the clock when he awoke, it was already fifteen minutes passed the time that he'd pushed the cart into the wall. Fifteen minutes of unconsciousness! Just for using a bit of demon power?! That was absurd!

Ciel groaned and got up, finding himself in his bed again. 'What...?' It took him exactly two seconds for the dots to connect. 'Ohhh, Sebastian.' He slowly nodded his head.

At that moment, the butler walked into the room, a bowl full of water balanced in one hand and a rag in the other. "Oh, young master! You've awoken." Sebastian exclaimed. He sighed heavily. "Describe how you feel." He prompted, coming closer to the bed. Sebastian gently pushed Ciel's shoulders until he was lying down once more.

"I..." Ciel looked away. "I merely pushed the cart to the wall... Then I was hit by a dizzy spell and collapsed." A blush of embarrassment was hidden cleverly underneath the child's slate colored bangs.

Sebastian let out an airy chuckle through his nose. "And how was this accomplished young master?" He asked innocently, tilting his head to the side slightly and smiling in a sickeningly sweet way.

Ciel clasped his hands together, as though in prayer before answering. "I had... To use a bit of my power to complete the task." He growled through clenched teeth.

"Ahhh, young master." Sebastian shook his head disapprovingly. "As a young and maturing demon, you do not have much power. This is because you cannot feed correctly. Once you mature, we can begin training your powers so that they are in control. However, because you used energy that you barely had today, you collapsed." Sebastian explained, making slight hand motions and watching Ciel's reactions.

Ciel was currently looking at his clasped hands in thought. He was complementing what the elder demon had just explained so clearly. "So in short," the young demon began. "If I try to use my abilities as a demon before the maturing process is complete, I will collapse? Because I can't feed?"

"Yes, exactly." Sebastian nodded in approval, proud of the way his master caught onto demon life so quickly. He'd become the jewel of the demon world if they ever decided to visit. After a moment of silence, Sebastian asked, "Young master, do you still feel hot?" The butler removed a glove using his teeth and put a cool hand to the boy's forehead.

Ciel flinched horribly at the touch and his eyes widened in shock. He jumped away. "Your hand is freezing cold Sebastian! Do you drench it in a ice water during your free time?!" He yelped, touching his forehead.

Sebastian shook his head sadly. "I am disappointed that you would think that I'd do such a thing." Ciel blinked and let out a 'huh?' "Young master, it is you who is hot. However, as a demon, a mere temperature like this couldn't harm you."

Ciel panted a bit, not used to this intense heat. The small demon arched his back a bit before flipping over onto his stomach and hugging a pillow close to him. "It's... _hot_!" He yelled. "I'm going to faint again. I can see it now." Ciel mumbled to himself dramatically.

A cool hand placed itself at the base of his neck, right at his shoulder. Ciel flinched, but relaxed into the cool touch. "For all living organisms, this is a pressure point. It's also one of the most sensitive places to temperature." Sebastian explained.

Ciel moaned. "Ahhh~ so nice..." He purred, leveling his breathing. Another hand stroked his scalp, and had him purring until he fell asleep in the bed.

Sebastian felt pleased. He enjoyed those delightful little purring noises coming from his pleasant master. The child sounded so much like a kitten! He'd like to hear it again. Sebastian stopped himself by putting a hand to his mouth and gasping. Now where did those troublesome thoughts come from? The elder demon shook his head before making his master comfortable. Once he finished, the jet-black butler departed from the room and continued his daily work. After all, spending so much time taking care of his master meant leaving the house to the other idiot servants.

Sebastian glanced at the clock. Two hours left until Ciel finished with 'anger'. Perhaps he'd sleep until then. The elder demon sighed. This maturing process was troublesome. Is this how human parents feel?

* * *

Ciel woke up to the sound of a bell toll. Immediately, he snapped his eyes open and scrambled out of bed. The young master dashed to the clock in his room and stared up at it. He let out a frustrated scream. One whole hour left! This was outrageous! Completely useless! Unwanted! A waste of his time!

Oh wow. He really was angry.

Ciel fell to his knees and slumped against the clock's base. He firmly shut his eyes and covered his ears. If he didn't hear or see anything to be angry at, then the feeling would go away right? Ciel felt blind... And deaf. He refused to open his eyes to see the time, afraid that he'd get angry that only a minute had passed. For once, he was scared to see time stop. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Was this how Sebastian had once felt when looking for a master? For a delicious soul to devour? Ciel gasped, ashamed at thinking that a human soul could be delicious. But he was a demon... It was instinct. No. He used to he human! This was not how he should deal with these feelings!

Determined, Ciel snapped his eyes open and removed his hands from his ears. He glared up at the clock defiantly. When the time registered, he gasped. During the time Ciel had been deep in thought and complementing his feelings, forty-five minutes had passed. Ciel broke out into a grin.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air with excitement. "Hell yeah!" Ciel smirked to himself, watching the clock as it ticked by every minute. Instead of feeling like the clock was slow, he grinned wider every time. After all, every minute that passed meant he was a minute closer to being free!

Sebastian arrived in the room five minutes before the 'anger' phase was officially over. "Young master...?" Ciel was sitting Indian style in front of the clock, a large grin decorating his face as he craned his neck to look up at the time.

Ciel looked at the butler, who couldn't help but allow a chuckle to push passed his lips. "What?!" He demanded. "What's so funny?! Just because I'm waiting for six o'clock doesn't mean you should be laughing at me!" He snapped.

"And there is the evidence that the phase has not finished yet." Sebastian chuckled slyly.

"_Excuse_ me?!" Ciel growled. The child demon seemed about ready to lash out and attack the elder with that expression.

The only thing that stopped him was the sudden toll of the evening bell. Ciel gazed up at it in shock, before feeling light headed again. The child groaned before falling forward, directly into Sebastian's waiting arms.

"What an emotional young master." Sebastian smiled. "Congratulations on completing your first emotional phase in maturing." He whispered, a small smile dancing on his lips as they moved.

Unfortunately, Ciel stayed completely quiet, since he was asleep. Sebastian picked him up bridal style and the boy's head lulled onto his shoulder. The jet-black butler carried the slate-haired boy to his bed, and ever so gently, place him down on the sheets. Sebastian then gently tucked the boy in and checked his temperature. Thankfully, the fever had disappeared. The butler sighed. It was over. Twelve hours of strange emotions in his master was absolutely maddening.

The butler quickly left the room to prepare a feast for the sure to be starving young master. Hopefully, this day would go without anymore surprises.

* * *

**End chappie! Yes, I know it's long. I only made it long because I wanted everyone to get a feel of this whole idea that I have. The other ones are probably -probably- gonna be more fast paced. So thanks for reading guys! See you next time! **

_**Review replies: **_

_**Guest**_: Of course! I plan to make this a fully blown story!


	3. When the Spirit is Blind

**AMC.3**

**Hey guys! I'm glad to see you here again! I hope you've been enjoying this story so far. Thanks for reading as always! **

**Disclaimer: *to the tune of Lacrimosa, the chorus***

**Iiiiii doooo notttt owwwwwnnn(1) Kuuuurooooshiiitsuuujiiii! **

**(Lacrimosa, tooku(1) kudakete kieta) **

**Even thoughhhh(1)that's what Iiiiii(2) deeeesiiiireee! **

**(Mabushii(1), sekai wo(2), mou ichido)**

**Please and thank you! **

**(Ai shitai!) **

**Hahaha, that's pretty fun to sing. Though those Japense lyrics are probably very wrong. I can sing it correctly in Japanese, but can't write it out... T^T**

* * *

**Chapter name: **_When the Spirit is Blind_

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Ciel Phantomhive had woken up the next day in cold sweat. He'd seen a horrible nightmare after reading Edgar Allen Poe last night right before bed after he'd woken up from 'anger'. The poem he'd read was about a raven...

Ciel rubbed his eyes before yawning and opening them. "I must be awake early." He thought. After all, there was no light streaming into the windows. He couldn't actually see anything a the moment. It was too dark. Perhaps his eyes need a moment to adjust.

Then the gears in his head began to turn. No. There was no way he'd have to have his eyes adjust! Demons had great night vision, as Sebastian had once told him. The boy went rigid as only one explanation came to his mind.

He was blind.

Immediately, Ciel let out a frightened yell. "No, no, no!" The child quickly hid underneath his covers and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he opened them again. 'There is really no reason to close them if I'd see the same thing anyway.'

Ciel groped around the bed and found one of the smaller pillows. The child bought it to his chest and buried his face in it, biting back small whimpers. It was dark. There was not a single thing to see. No faces and smiles, or flowers and trees. No people... No light. Ciel was alone again. All alone in his own little world. He was filled with, as much as he hated to admit it, fear.

A sudden knock on the door was bought to his attention."Young master? Is something the matter? I heard yelling." Sebastian's voice came.

Ciel heard two other voices behind him. It was Mey-Rin and Bardroy. "How he even heard yellin' all the way from the sevant's quarter's 's the mystery." Came Bardroy's gruff voice. Ciel noticed that he had a somewhat hidden southern accent.

"Mr. Sebastian has super hearing, yes he does!" Came Mey-Rin's excited soprano voice. It was obvious that this was a tone that she didn't like to speak with.

"You may come in Sebastian." Ciel whispered, knowing the butler would hear him clearly.

"Yes, my Lord." Came the reply.

"Ya see tha'?!" Bardroy exclaimed.

"I did see that, yes I did!" Mey-Rin was jumping up and down now. Ciel could feel the vibrations in the floor and air.

The wooden doors swung open with a barely audible groan and Ciel sat up, staring directly ahead blankly. The door swung closed again. Light footsteps sounded in the room, but only Ciel's breathing was heard. Apparently, demons didn't need air. It was also a luxury.

"Young master?" Came Sebastian's somewhat concerned tone.

"I'm blind." Ciel said bluntly, answering the unsaid question. Heavy silence blanketed the room, and Ciel didn't dare to even breathe.

"It must be a character trait." Sebastian thought aloud.

"I believe so myself." Ciel nodded. Then he hugged his upper arms. "Damn, it's dark!" He spat.

Sebastian chuckled. "Well young master, even with blindness, we need to get our work done. Especially since a second day of illness would make the servants too curious to see you."

"Of course." Ciel groped the bed to find the edge of it. Then he grasped it and pulled himself towards it. Once there, the boy swung his legs over the side, found the floor, and stood.

A sudden applause startled him, and the boy flinched. "Wonderful, young master. With that enthusiasm, the day will be over before you know it." Sebastian was smiling and nodding at his master.

Ciel coughed into a fist to hide a blush. "Find me today's clothing Sebastian. And I do not desire a breakfast today."

'Sebastian just bowed.' Ciel's mind provided him. 'The slight ruffle of clothing and the 'whoosh' in the air is the evidence of such.' Ciel smiled to himself, finding that perhaps blindness wasn't as bad as it was thought to be.

Before he knew it, Sebastian was changing his clothes and once in a while instructed him to sit on the bed or stand. For the first time, Ciel kept track of where the butler's hands were. 'Collar, buttons, belt. Cuffs, mid-thigh, and feet.' Ciel counted off. 'All going down.'

When the hands disappeared, a part of Ciel was extremely disappointed. The flabbergasted part of Ciel banished those thoughts to the deepest corner of his mind and buried them. Perhaps he'd turn them over later.

As he was distracted, Ciel didn't notice that he was now being led to his office by a firm, yet gentle, hand on his shoulder. The pair was at the door in no time at all. Sebastian opened the door and gently pushed him in. Then Ciel was led to his desk and seated in his chair.

"I feel like a small child." Ciel pouted. "I could have found my way on my own, Sebastian." He said, taking two fingers and padding them around the desk to find his fountain pen.

Sebastian tried to hold back a chuckle, and muted it well. However, Ciel snapped his head up in the general direction the butler was in. "I apologize." Sebastian said seriously when he realized he'd been heard.

"That's right." Ciel nodded approvingly. After a moment of silence, as the boy tilted his head down (as if he were looking at the desk), Ciel spoke up once more. "Sebastian..." He began.

"Yes, young master?"

"How the hell am I supposed to get any work done if I can't read or write?" Ciel smiled in a sickeningly sweet way in the direction of his butler. His tone was that of a child asking an honest question. Such as, 'why is the sky blue daddy?'

Sebastian bit his lip. He hadn't thought that far... The jet black butler played it off as though he knew what he was doing. "Why, I'll read the pages aloud and you'll tell me what to write. It is possible for me to do a somewhat perfect impression of your handwriting, young master."

"And that's a good thing?" Ciel asked sarcastically.

Sebastian tilted his head to the side innocently. "Why, what makes you believe otherwise?"

"Oh, just hurry and read the papers." Ciel snapped.

"Very well, young master."

Sebastian picked up the first page on the paperwork stack and began to read the information aloud. Ciel payed close attention, acting as though the moves of his company were a chess game. The other companies that were trying to cheat him and buy stocks within his company were loosing so far. On an extremely difficult and pressing matter, he debated his moves with Sebastian. And when they were both at a loss, they called in Tanaka as a final resort. Tanaka, being in this company since it began, was an expert. He easily became advisor for Ciel's father too. Real Tanaka had quickly resolved the problem and explained the most likely results of this move. Ciel saw the logic of such and dismissed the advisor. Sebastian quickly wrote down the ideas.

"Forgive me for not being of use, young master." Sebastian said sincerely. There was no reason for him to voice his excuse, even though he felt it was a pretty good one.

"Oh, come off it, Sebastian. I can smell your discomfort and urge to brag of something." Ciel rolled his eyes out of habit.

"Very well. As a person of my status, company work was frowned upon. That was for the lower ranks. People of my status are kings and queen all around the world today." Sebastian struggled to find an example that would be clear enough. "Why, the king of Spain? He is a demon of my ranking. That is why there are so many legends of him never being hurt in battle." Sebastian shook his head. "The bumbling idiot will get us all exposed one of these days, I'm sure."

Ciel let out a chuckle. "What an interesting piece of information..."

* * *

Sebastian frowned before continuing with the work. In only an hour and a half, the day's business work was complete. Sebastian quickly moved onto education with his young master and cancelled the tutors again. The two decided not to try fencing, but merely did shaping exercises instead. In music, Sebastian suggested that perhaps playing the piano for once would be wiser. Many blind men have taken up the piano, and are very famous for it. The boy had hesitantly agreed.

Ciel seated himself on the bench at the grand piano. He positioned his fingers over the keys, feeling around with nimble fingers to get a mental picture of where his hands were. Ciel had mastered the piano at age seven. His mother had taught him. Now, Ciel always played his mother's famous piece. Not that Sebastian had ever heard. Ciel hadn't touched the piano since his parents' death.

Ciel smiled to himself with warmth. "Sebastian, you can sit back..." He whispered. Memories of his mother teaching the song to him was flooding his mind. So were other fun times. For example, when she'd taught him how to make a piece of china and decorate it.

"Young master...?" Sebastian questioned. When seeing his master's smile, he stopped. "Yes, my Lord."

Sebastian sat in a nearby chair and Ciel began. He clasped his hands together and tilted them right and left to stretch his fingers. Then he placed his hands on the beginning keys. The butler actually held his breath...

Immediately, Ciel began playing a few running notes at a high octave. It sounded as though the notes were displaying something that floated in the air; falling and then shooting up again. Sebastian closed his eyes as chords joined in, and the song began. A beautiful melody escaped from the piano's keys/strings... Music from Heaven.

The music filled the entire house. Tanaka, Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Bardroy all peeked into the room to find their young master playing beautifully.

"The Bocchama plays?!" Finnian whispered.

"It looks like it, yes it does!" Mey-Rin answered hurriedly.

"Ho ho ho~" Was Tanaka's reaction.

"My niece played like that..." Bardroy sniffed. "She passed away from heart disease, the poor angel."

Mey-Rin said her apologies and then shushed the chatty blondes to hear the music. Ciel was so absorbed in the song that he only could hear the piano and, for some reason unbeknownst to him, Sebastian's breathing and reactions.

He'd gotten towards the ending of the song; one of his favorite parts. Ciel couldn't help but sigh contently as he began to play it flawlessly. He was a demon now. Not an imperfect human being. Such perfectness was possible by him now. The piano seemed to be displaying his memories instead of making the noises that came from pressing keys. It was wonderful.

Sebastian hid a scowl. Such a warm thing from God should not be enjoyed by demons. However, since all demons came from the Devil, Lucifer, they all yearned for Heaven's music. Being it the music from their home. Even if it was only the deepest part of their mind. Sebastian decided to let go this once.

Ciel surprised everyone in the room with a very simple, but beautiful ending. Several high octave notes danced at the same time, making Ciel press two-four keys at once most of the time. Such a thing had taken him a week to master. Even though it lasted only a few seconds.

As the final chords died in the room, applause resounded. Sebastian even allowed himself a meaningful and earnest one to congratulate his young master. Ciel flinched at the sudden noise. "I didn't even know you were in here..." He breathed when he noticed the murmuring of the servants.

"That was very wonderful, yes it was!" Came Mey-Rin's excited voice. Her energy was bouncing off the walls, and was already giving the slate-haired lad a migraine.

"I agree! Where did you learn to play?" Finnian asked curiously.

"My mother taught me. That was her favorite piece." Ciel announced.

"Oh?" Sebastian hummed. "What was the title of the piece?" He asked his young master.

"'Dreams'. " Ciel answered confidently as his hands moved again to finish playing another song. "My mother loved it for its title and story within the song. Oh, and this one is 'One Day I Will Leave Behind'." Ciel added.

"Wonderful." Sebastian breathed.

If Ciel were a cat, he would've purred at the way his butler's breath blew of from his mouth. And how the sigh that escaped afterwards sent shivers down his spine. Shocked once more, Ciel hurriedly buried those thoughts with the others in the darkest part of his mind. They were to be felt with later.

"Angelica, my poor niece!" Bard cried out in agony. Mey-Rin warned everyone not to ask.

Suddenly Real Tanaka was back. He gently placed a hand on the young lad's shoulder. "Bocchan..." He let the sentence drop.

Ciel smiled falsely up to what he assumed was the man's face. "I'm fine, Tanaka." He said confidently. "Mother would've wanted me to play it one last time." Ciel gently pressed more keys to continue playing.

"That concludes our lesson in music for today, young master." Sebastian said as the toll of the bell sounded.

"It's already three?" Ciel blinked.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian smiled. "Time Forgets doesn't it?"

Ciel grinned in his butler's direction as he caught onto the pun. "Very well, Sebastian. Since you suggested it." Ciel complied, opening the key cover once more since finishing the last song. "'Time Forgets' it is."

Ciel positioned his hands and began playing again. Needless to say, for a good two hours of 'let's suggest what song to play!' by the servants, the house was filled with warmth. And everyone was happy.

Once Mey-Rin had figured out the artist, she'd suggested 'Scenery From My Window' and 'Tears on Love'. Sebastian had politely asked the humming maid to dance to the romantic song with him. She'd complied, though completely red-faced and clumsy. However, once she'd gotten a hang of it, she was very good.

"Where'd ya learn to dance, Mey-Rin?" Bard asked, once the song was over.

"My old job sometimes called for it..." She answered shyly, glasses being pushed up once more.

Later, Finnian asked for 'What Beautiful Stars', to which he imagined his little birdie going to sleep in a nest. Bard asked for 'Maybe', and Tanaka for 'Moonlight'. Then all four decided to ask Ciel to play 'Kiss the Rain'.

For a grandè finalè, Ciel played two of his personal favorites; 'Love Me' and 'River Flows in You'. These were the most famous by the artist.

* * *

The last song Ciel played had a heavy undertone, so he played it once the other servants had disappeared to work. It was named 'Indigo' Ciel played 'Indigo' because he felt it was now like him. Therefore, the song was his most favorite.

"Young master, you have such amazing talent for the piano. Why haven't you explored this area for a hobby?" Sebastian asked curiously as the boy continued to play.

Ciel answered slowly, afraid of messing up his performance in front of his butler. "Because my mother taught me such a thing. I despise the fact that this hobby stirs the human Ciel Phantomhive within me. Even though I murdered him with my own two hands..."

Sebastian was silent as he continued to listen for the song. "It suits you, young master. Is this your favorite?"

Ciel nodded. "I learned this one on my own... It was the last song I ever played before that incident years ago." He explained.

Sebastian only hummed in response and continued to listen as Ciel poured a bit of his heart into the music. His loneliness, suffering, and touches of anger were evident in the way he pushed on the keys. That was why Sebastian was so surprised at the gentle ending, though he didn't voice his opinion.

And for once, just this once... Sebastian understood his master completely.

* * *

It had been a wonderful afternoon. The entire day had gone by. As of right now, it was only five o'clock. When even Sebastian had disappeared for work, Ciel went to find his room on his own. Or at least he tried.

He saw nothing. Only a blanket of darkness. Ciel wanted to scream in frustration. He felt as though it was right there! Just beyond the veil of darkness. He continued to trip over his own feet until he walked so slowly, it was to the beat of a waltz. Except ten folds slower. His arms were stretched out as though he were learning to walk for the first time. His fingers were jammed into walls and doorways. When he'd gotten so distressed about his current state, he'd forgotten his current location.

He was lost, and he couldn't see a damn thing.

Ciel refused to cry. However, he allowed himself to sink to his knees and huddle up against a wall. He bought his knees to his chest and laid his cheek on his forearm, staring blankly ahead. From his facial expression, a person could swear he was a porcelain doll. Darkness swirled all around him. He was alone. He didn't know where anything or anyone was anymore. Ciel stretched his legs out on the floor and placed his hands on his knees. He grasped the cloth of his trousers tightly into fists after a while.

He refused to call Sebastian when he was in this state. He'd be showing extreme weakness to the elder demon. And after all, wasn't he supposed to learn something from each maturing phase?

"Well, I do know that it's dark." Ciel began carefully, speaking aloud to himself. "It's dark enough that I feel as though it would swallow me whole if given the chance. I've figured out that blindness to me, is turning my eyes away from what I'm feeling inside of my heart. From what and who I am." Ciel laughed bitterly. "Now I know why this is a weak point!" He mumbled. "Because I've chosen to turn away from the fact that I've become a demon. I've chosen to turn a blind eye to my fate. Sebastian would laugh at me right now. After all, I'd never been so afraid of my fate before..."

Ciel suddenly felt lonely. "It's lonely... I've learned that this way of living is lonely. I feel stuck. As though I cannot move from where I am in my life." The boy began again after a long pause of silence. "It's truly lonely... And I've never felt so afraid in my life..." Ciel finished. "The dark is so cold..."

"It doesn't have to be." A deep, tenor, voice replied softly. Sebastian. "Young master, I am to remain eternally by your side am I not...?" The jet black butler lifted the lad from his seat on the floor. "What are you doing right outside of your bedroom?" He asked.

Ciel's eyes widened in shock. "My bedroom?!" He demanded. The boy turned around quickly and fumbled with the door knob. Sebastian opened it in the end, and Ciel literally flew from his spot and to his bed. He flung himself onto it. "I'd gotten lost in the halls and couldn't figure out where I was, being so distracted by needing to watch my every step." Ciel explained.

The boy suddenly straightened and faced the direction where he'd assumed his butler was in. "Sebastian, I owe you an apology." He stammered. 'Come on Phantomhive, you're a man are you not?' He sternly told himself.

"For what, young master?" Came the butler's surprised voice.

Ciel coughed into his fist as he realized he'd been facing the wrong direction by about ninety degrees. "My apology is for making you wait. I've been turing a blind eye to my fate as a demon. I've been ignoring what I am and tried to fall back into my old daily routine of human life. I shall not do such a thing anymore. You deserve better then this bratty behavior, and I apologize." Ciel finished, making a slight bow to his butler.

"Young master..." Sebastian smiled with a 'what am I to do with you?' sigh. "Apology accepted. I shall warn you of your behavior should this occur again in the future."

"That would be much appreciated." Ciel smiled gently and awkwardly. Luckily, his light headedness was the perfect filler. "Se-Sebastian..." He called weakly, stumbling over to the night stand.

"I've got you, young master." The demon butler said gently, catching his master by the shoulders. Sebastian was smiling down at his young charge.

"Th-thank you..." Ciel was able to murmur before falling unconscious.

The butler sighed. "With you fainting so much, I'm afraid to leave you alone, young master. Hopefully, you will be able to receive enough energy later to 'skip' over that part." The butler muttered to his sleeping master. He carried the youngster to the bed and set him down. But his hand ran over two small lumps near the child's shoulder blades. "What in the hell?"

Concerned, Sebastian removed his young charge's upper clothing. Then flipped him onto his stomach and examined the lumps. Two fat, but small, brownish lumps were setting right at top of the child's shoulder blades. Sebastian gasped as he realized what they were.

* * *

**Bwahahahahaha! Cliffy! Why is Ciel getting physical changes when he's just started his mental ones? We find out next chapter! Thanks for reading everyone! Love you all lots! **

**The artist mentioned in this chapter is pretty famous. He goes by the stage name, Yiruma. I love all the songs I listed by him. Please check him out! At least one of the three that was part of the grand finalè! Those are his most famous pieces (first two only)! Though unfortunately, they are wrongly associated with the Twilight Trilogy. :( **

**Thanks for reading! See you next time! **


	4. A Discovery Becomes my DoomCP

**AMC.4 **

**Ciaó guys! How you doin'? I'm doing great. I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for reading guys, you make me so happy! **

**Excuse my late update, I write on my IPod, but I just recently lost my charger... Sorry! **

**Disclaimer: *stares hard at the filthy doggy character playing Disclaimer* So, Disclaimer... Here we are again. What do you have to say for yourself?! You filthy animal! **

***character playing Disclaimer sighs* CrescentMoonTenshi- **

**Me: No! Where's my honorific?! **

**Disclaimer: SAMA, does not own Kuroshitsuji in anyway shape or form. This is her story plot line however, and she'd like to ask that no one take it for their own benefits. Please and thank you. **

**Me: good job, filthy mutt. Go visit Sebastian, maybe he'll kick you out a window. But you all heard the dog. As much as I hate to admit it, it's the truth. I do no own and most likely never will.**

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**Chapter name**: _"A Discovery Becomes my Doom."~Ciel Phantomhive_

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**Normal POV**

* * *

Sebastian quickly redressed his master in pajama clothing and set him on bed with a hard face. His frown was deeply etched into it, and it was perfectly clear that he did not appreciate what he'd just learned. It was time to make a visit to home.

Sebastian quickly scribbled a note and stabbed a silverware knife into it for his master before hurriedly leaving. He raced down the halls and into the servant's quarters. There, he dressed in hell's newest piece of clothing; skinny jeans. Then he threw on a black blouse, ran a comb through his hair, and left the room.

Finnian, who was the first to see him, had called the other servants over. Mey-Rin was already having a nosebleed at the sight of the not-so-butler-looking demon. Bard had let the cigarette in his mouth fall to the floor. "What d'hell are ya wearin'?!" He gasped.

"Never mind that." Sebastian said quickly. "I'm leaving for a few hours on some urgent business. As much as I hate to leave the master alone, it is a pressing matter. Therefore, I am asking you three to silently protect the manor. The master is asleep, and I'd rather not wake him after such a tiring day he's had. Do you understand what I am asking of you three?" Sebastian asked seriously.

"Yessir!" The three servants called out seriously, saluting in the process.

"Perfect. I'll be going now." Sebastian walked to the door and swung it open. He then turned to the servants one more time by spinning on his heel. "Oh, and when in doubt, call Tanaka."

The three servants nodded and Sebastian shut the door behind him. Quickly, Sebastian ran into the forest and found a dead tree. Its leaves were crumpled and dead, scattered on the floor nearby. It's roots tangled, and it's bark becoming a sickly black color. Sebastian pressed his hand onto the tree's xylem.

The demon mumbled a spell. "A Trà lé della suburiè sometrà. Felliticër là koznje. In the name of Sebastian Michaelis open thy doors!" He yelled. He'd basically asked of the Demon Rider (a demon "saint" for traveling) to lead him to a portal of hell.

One swirl of black feathers and darkness later, Sebastian stepped through a purple void/portal in the tree. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, frowning as his stomach dropped. He knew he was going to fall down, and that was the way to Hell, but it actually was like a roller coaster ride. He hated those, and couldn't wait until some idiot demon bought them to the surface world for humans to enjoy. Then they'd be out of his hair.

The demon had thought all this as he fell through the empty void. He gently landed on his feet afterwards and noticed he was standing in an empty field. It was like earth's grass, but completely dyed in sunset hues. He stomped through the tall grass and found a road. The demon, finding that he was a good five 'miles' away from any nearby city, began running at full speed.

As soon as he made it to the city, he almost cried out in relief. He'd come to one of the emptier cities on the countryside. There was always a shop like the one he was looking for. And there were barely any other demons that roamed the streets. Sebastian quickly made his way to the store he was looking for, and the door easily swung open.

"Hello." Greeted the shopkeeper. Then his face twisted in disgust. "Oh, it's you." He sneered. "Come back to Hell to find another toy to play with?"

Sebastian shot a nasty glare in the man's direction. "Disgusting mutts shouldn't talk that way to some one who out ranks them." He growled in reply.

"Hpmh!" The storeowner huffed. "Get what you want and get out."

"Yessir..." Sebastian mumbled, finding his way to the back of the store.

Past the lewd magazines and porn DVDs (what'd ya expect from a demon shop? Not trying to be stereotypical here) was a place for parents to find stuff on their maturing demons. Sebastian's mother, Amore (short for Amore della Anima), had come here when he was maturing too. She'd bought him an advanced mood ring, and painkillers for whatever type of physical change he was going through at the time.

The mood rings aren't ordinary. They are made of a special diamond mined in Hell and are spot on about moods. Except they don't calculate the temperature of the blood like human ones. These ones have to literally read the energy you are emitting. Once they do, they change color according to whatever mood. These ones can change so many different colors, that a mini book is provided with the mood listings. Another special thing is the letter that appears in white/black, depending on the shade of the color. It hints to exactly what mood the demon is in, for easy searching in the book. It was a total success in this world, and almost every maturing demon wore one.

Sebastian grimly smiled to himself as he picked out the painkillers. 'These ones should take care of the lumps on his back...' He thought.

When the demon walked back up to the counter, a female demon was at it this time. "Oh, are you a father? How sweet of you to take such great care of of our youngling!" She cooed upon seeing the items.

"Thank you very much." Sebastian smiled sweetly. "I have a question, however. Are you a mother yourself?" He asked with a touch of concern in his voice.

The female demon nodded, her blonde ringlets bouncing up and down, and purple eyes shining. "Yes, I have a grown boy now. He went through his maturing a few years ago."

Sebastian smiled warmly. "Perfect." He breathed. "Then do you know of any situations where the maturing demon may get his physical changes while the mental ones too?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as she rang up his items.

The woman paused and frowned in thought. "Hmmm..." Her brow crinkled for a moment before she pat a fist into an open hand. "Yes! My farthest cousin on my mother's side had a son like that. My mother ended up doing a bit of research. She'd discovered that such a thing could mean the maturing demon is one; terribly ill, two; will stop maturing completely at one point, or three; will have extreme power that is of rarity." She counted off on her fingers.

Sebastian's eyes widened and he swallowed forcefully. "And do you know how often the first one happens?" He asked, carefully controlling his tone.

Though the female saw through his brave mask. "Oh," she sighed in pity. "That one happens most of the time. Especially if the demon was a human. I'm truly sorry to say that they usually pass away at that point and their very essence disappears." The female handed Sebastian back his goods as he paid for them. The demon stuffed them in his back jean pocket.

"No need to apologize, Cecilia." Sebastian smiled. "The truth is always harsh, is it not?" The demon winked at her before exiting the store.

He stood by the door and listened as the original shopkeeper came in and began yelling at the girl. "Do you have any idea who that was?! I can't believe you made conversation with him!" There was a slight pause as the girl asked a question. "Who was that?! That was - Michaelis, Cecilia! It was the cursed one!"

"_THE - MICHAELIS?!_" The girl screamed in alarm. "Wasn't he the one who-"

Sebastian rolled his eyes as he disappeared again. He kept away from main roads and searched for the same field he'd been in before. Yes. Sebastian was famous in the demon world. Especially since he'd done _that_. The Michaelis family was put to shame because of him. Oh well. Sebastian had always been a rebel in his teenage years. If anyone asked him, he say that his family should've seen it coming.

Sebastian closed his eyes as he stood in the middle of the field he'd found again. He chanted the same spell again and was granted entrance to the human world once more. Not that he'd ever been allowed to stay longer than three earth days. Sebastian felt cool, night air splash over his face as he stepped into the human world. He finally stepped out of the dead tree's hollowed out xylem and began to walk out of the forest. His hands were thrust into his pockets as he walked, head slightly down as he remembered what had happened several years ago. The only thing that kept him going was the same question:

_Would I have ever met Ciel Phantomhive if I had listened to the words of my family members? _

The answer was no. And that was why he didn't regret what he'd done back then. He made the correct choice. And he was ever so happy with it. Sebastian climbed up the familiar steps of the Phantomhive household and knocked twice on the wooden door, shoving his previous thought back.

Mey-Rin had answered the door and Sebastian blinked at the fact that she wasn't wearing her glasses. "Oh, back already Sebastian?" She asked in her real tone of voice. She felt comfortable in the alto tone she'd used as an assassin. "We kept thinking you might not have been back until tomorrow."

Sebastian nodded to her in greeting. "Oh. Am I late, Mey-Rin? What time is it?" He asked, shaking off his jacket as the maid closed the door.

"It's almost eleven thirty, sir." She said. "Bard has been standing guard at his point near the kitchen. And Finny has been patrolling the perimeter. I was at my post just moments before you knocked. I'd seen you walking up the steps... Though I'm not adjusted to your way of dress as of yet." Mey-Rin chatted.

"I see." Sebastian nodded. "And how did the chores fare?" He asked, walking with her to the servants quarters. Only the sounds of their breathing and the clicking of Mey-Rin's heeled shoes was heard.

"Very well, Mr. Sebastian." The maid grinned. "We'd been rushing so much to get to our posts that we didn't have any room to make mistakes. Bard hasn't blown up the kitchen once, and Finny only killed a fraction of the garden today with his weed killer. He, thankfully, noticed before he could get any farther."

"And the young master?" Sebastian peeked over at her from the corner of his eye, catching her as she bit her lip.

"I'm afraid he was somewhat sick right when you left. Complaining about a pain in his back. Though once he had some of the leftover soup from yesterday, he fell asleep again. So he hasn't awoken yet." The maid reported.

"Oh my. Perhaps I was correct in buying the medication." Sebastian said to himself. "Well that will be all Mey-Rin. You may inform the others that their post is over. I shall take over for the rest of the night."

The woman frowned. "Mr. Sebastian, don't you intend to sleep?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. She'd noticed that the super butler was almost never asleep.

Sebastian smiled warmly. "Do not worry Mey-Rin. I'm simply one hell of a butler. A Phantomhive butler who couldn't even stand guard isn't worth his salt." Sebastian said solemnly.

Mey-Rin put a hand on his arm. Worry clear in her eyes. To be honest, the demon was touched. "Mr. Sebastian, we all know you don't sleep that often... And we're all worried. Please, we know the Phantomhive name is important, but what kind of a butler would you be if you got sick when your master needed you?" Mey-Rin reminded him gently. "Please be a bit more considerate of your health, Mr. Sebastian." The worried woman searched the butler's face sadly.

Sebastian kissed her hand once. "If such a lady as yourself asks, then I shall. Thank you for your worry, Mey-Rin. It is much appreciated." Then the butler disappeared into his room.

He closed the door behind him and changed into his usual butler uniform and tailcoat. Sebastian rearranged his hair once more in his small mirror before taking his goods and heading to his master's room.

He passed by Finnian and Bard, to which he said goodnight to. He wished Tanaka a goodnight as the old man was guarding the hall where Ciel's bedroom was.

"Sebastian." Ciel whispered as the butler said good night to Tanaka.

Sebastian snapped his head in the direction of the master's room. "Yes, my lord." The butler answered quietly. He bowed to the not-so-surprised Tanaka before entering the room.

Ciel was spread over the top of his bed. Silky smooth legs showing clearly, and looking wonderful. Slate colored hair turning into an indigo hue in the moonlight. Violet contracted eye glowing faintly as the child raised himself up on his elbows. His head was tilted down slightly, and he looked as though he were trying to seduce someone.

It was clearly working on the breathless Sebastian.

Ciel moaned quietly in pain. "Se-Sebastian! Argh!" He flopped down onto the bed again and hugged a pillow to his stomach. "My back... I feel an intense pain at my shoulder blades Sebastian..." Ciel whimpered.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian agreed. "I noticed when I changed you into your night clothing. It is also the reason why I was out. I went out for medication."

Sebastian handed his master two capsules from the painkiller container in his pocket. "You may chew on them if you like." The butler shrugged.

Ciel gratefully munched on them and then flopped back down into his stomach again. Sebastian removed the shirt he was wearing enough to see the shoulder blades. Those two brownish lumps had grown larger, and were now turning into a bluish bruise-like color. "What is it Sebastian?" Ciel panted.

Sebastian got up. "I'll be back with some ice." He said bitterly before running to get some ice and a towel. The butler was back within seconds.

"Sebastian..." Ciel said in a warning tone. "You did not answer my question."

"I do not understand, young master." Sebastian let an un-gloved hand trail down the length of the boy's neck. "I do not understand you." He whispered into Ciel's ear.

The young demon shivered pleasantly in response, but fought to keep his head on track. "My question, Sebastian. What was on my back?"

"That is what I'm about to explain. Wait a moment, _master_." The demon purred, pressing a bit on one of the lumps.

Ciel, too distracted by his butler's sudden change in attitude, barely registered the pressure. "Well then? On with it." Ciel pressed his belly harder onto the mattress as Sebastian's cool hands made him cringe.

"Simple." Sebastian answered in response, and Ciel felt the bed dip as the butler had the boy underneath him. "I do not understand why you are going through a physical change when you've only just begun you're mental ones..." Sebastian placed a few chaste kisses on the base of his master's neck. Then the butler pressed on the other lump slowly.

Ciel shivered and purred in response. "So? Isn't that a good thing? Won't that mean that I'll finish this entire thing early?" The boy asked, wondering why he hadn't stopped his butler's ministrations yet. He felt a sharp pain in his back and gasped in shock. "Argh!" Ciel hung his head.

"Bear with me for a bit, young master." Sebastian said in response.

"Stop your ministrations right this instant, Sebastian." Ciel said, slightly angrily after a pause. "I can see what you've been doing now. Those ministrations were to distract me from you pressing down on my back." Ciel barely managed to conceal the hurt in his voice, though he did not understand it.

"Young master. I did a bit of research." Sebastian began. "This maturing process may mean the end of your life... Or it means you will come out of it with insane power." The butler said worriedly. "What do you want?" He asked.

"To try my chances of course." Ciel said immediately. "I plan to live passed this and to continue my life as a demon. Besides, I am curious to discover my ranking..."

Sebastian placed a gentle kiss on each lump before backing away. "Prepare yourself, young master. These lumps are none other then the middle stages of the growth of wings."

Ciel's eyes widened in shock. "Wings?!"

Sebastian nodded. "I had the same ones. Though the progress you made today had taken me a week. That is one thing I do not understand. Why are you advancing so quickly? What is so special about your maturing compared to other 'human to demon' ones?" The butler asked.

"Will it be painful?" Ciel asked in a monotone.

"Yes." Sebastian answered honestly. "The bones of the wings will grow inside of your back, at the top of your shoulder blades. After that, the lumps will grow larger, and the feathers will break through your skin and muscles until they're out. One bloody mess it will be..." Sebastian shook his head. "But I am interested to see whether or not your wing color will be black."

"And what does that mean?" Ciel asked, feeling the painkillers take affect. He was getting a numbing feeling a his shoulder blades.

"Sometimes, a demon is not born with black wings. In rare cases, they may have silvery grey, charcoal, smokey grey, slate, and even the most rare one; wings of pencil coloring. A shade that crosses black and slate." Sebastian said, pressing the cool ice on both lumps, Ciel flinched. "Icing it will numb the pain and speed up the growth."

Ciel cringed at the freezing feeling. "Now now, it seems like this maturing process will be worth my time." He smirked, resting his head on his arms as he lay on his stomach.

"Indeed." Sebastian agreed, noting for once how lithe the child's back seemed when stretched out. Almost as though he were a cat. Though cats didn't have milky white, and smooth skin. Sebastian tore his eyes away from the back and held back the temptation to stroke it. His eyes widened at his own thoughts, and the demon decided to turn them over in his mind later.

Ciel had been watching his butler for a while, feeling pleased that he could smell some type of temptation coming off of the man. "Sebastian, what are you tempted to do?" The child asked, smirking as he tilted his head to the side to glance at the butler.

"Pardon me. I wasn't paying attention young master. What did you just say?" Sebastian asked, once he registered Ciel's cool voice in his ears. The elder demon paused in pressing ice cubes on the wing lumps.

"I asked you, 'what are you tempted to do, Sebastian?'" Ciel repeated, even more pleased that he'd caught his butler in the act and off guard.

Sebastian forced a smile, though a slightly panicked feeling overcame him. "Would you like the truth or the exact opposite?" He asked.

Ciel paused for a moment in thought. Then he smirked. "How about the exact opposite for once? I want to see if I can guess what you were thinking correctly." The child felt as though the game were in his hands.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian said. "I wasn't thinking about how your back was very similar to a lithe cat's. Nor was I thinking of testing my theory. Nor did I feel surprised at such thoughts and decide to turn them over later." Sebastian said, knowing his words could be taken two ways.

Ciel frowned. He'd hoped to catch his butler fantasizing, but not about cats. Ciel immediately threw those thoughts in the pit with the others, deciding that the pile was getting large. Perhaps he should turn them over when Sebastian left. "I see. Stop comparing me to cats Sebastian. It's utterly demeaning."

The butler chuckled. "How do you feel now, young master?" He asked, taking the ice off and putting them in a nearby bowl. Gently, the butler wiped his master's wet back with a towel.

"The pain is gone." Ciel confirmed as Sebastian fixed his night shirt again. "That'll be all for tonight Sebastian." He dismissed the jet black butler and fell to his bed tiredly.

"Good night, young master." Sebastian said, feeling a bit awkward as he disappeared once more. The butler closed the door behind him and sighed. "Now. I must prepare for tomorrow." He said to himself.

* * *

**Ciel's POV**

* * *

Once Sebastian had disappeared, I began to think. My hands were supporting the back of my head as I lay on my back. Thanks to whatever medication my butler had gotten me, I was no longer in any physical pain.

Mentally, though, was a different story.

I do not understand why I felt so disappointed when I did not catch Sebastian fantasizing about me. I do not understand why I wanted him to be. Nor do I understand why I feel so pleased when he compliments me with breathless sighs of happiness. I am lost to the reason of why I yearn for his touch when my clothing is being changed. I have no idea why he was the one that appeared in my photo with that ghost camera long ago. His devious smirk is something else I do not understand. Why is it that whenever he smiles like that, I get shivers down my spine? Why do I feel proud as a king when someone compliments him on his work? Why does it anger me why he looks at Mey-Rin and gives her his attention? Why did I feel murderous intent bubbling within the pit of my stomach when he gave that nun a few hours of pleasure? Especially since it was just for information...

I do not understand why my butler drives me up a wall with these confusing feelings. There is only one way to explain all of them. I must have feelings for Sebastian. The question is, what kind?

I turned over in my bed and onto my side as I began to rethink my feelings. In all of those statements, I listed: disappointment, pleasure, lust, fondness, more pleasure, pride, and intense jealousy. I blinked in surprise and thought that over again.

I had disappointment when he wasn't thinking of me.

I am pleased by the way he looks at me.

I lust for his touch.

I am fond of his company.

I am proud that he is mine.

And I get insanely jealous when he looks at another.

I sat up in my bed in shock. When I completely simplified all of my feelings, it was completely obvious. These are all symptoms of... I choked on air.

"_I'm... In love with Sebastian...?" _I gaped slightly and stared at my sheets. "My own butler?!" I fell back onto my bed with a forceful flop as my mind began to race with ideas.

I asked myself what I would do in some situations, and kept a mental list. No matter how many times I tried, the result was always the same. I was utterly in love with my butler... And it appears that I don't mind. At least until after this maturing is over. Now that I've gotten this entire thing sorted of a bit, I should try and rest. This is completely tiring. Perhaps tomorrow I will test my theories.

Oh no... How am I to face him now?

Let me just say that I hadn't slept much that night.

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Ciel didn't sleep much. Who would when they've just found out that they're in love with their butler? So when the sun finally came up, he nearly danced with joy. Though he felt strange. A bubbling feeling in his stomach made him go to the bathroom, but then he had a small headache.

_Oh. _

He'd almost forgotten that he was still maturing. However, it was nothing compared to the pain in his back and Ciel cried out in pain when it began to intensify. Soon, the small demon was withering in his bed, grasping his head and kicking the sheets around. Sebastian was in the room in seconds.

"Young master?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. The butler reached out towards his young charge.

Ciel moved away. "Don't come any closer..." He gasped. "I might hit you..." His back arched and the boy screamed in agony. "Hand me some of that medication from last night!" Ciel commanded of his butler.

Sebastian shook his head. "Young master, if your wings are sprouting, then the medication won't help. But I know something that will." The butler was gone and back in seconds, cloths in one hand, and ice and a towel in the other. "Forgive me young master, but this is for both of our safety." Sebastian took hold of one of Ciel's wrists and tied one of the cloths around it. Then he tied the other end to one of the bars of the bed post. "I prefer handcuffs, but this is the best we have at the moment."

Ciel realized that he was being tied down to minimize his movements, but that didn't stop him from remembering that horrible month a few years ago. Ciel began to whimper and hallucinate.

"N-no... Stop it..." He whimpered, digging his face into his pillow. "Don't touch me!" Ciel cried out. "Stop it! Stop!" The boy was visibly shaking. "Disgusting thugs... Stop touching me!" He screeched.

Sebastian removed his glove on the contracted hand and pressed two fingers on Ciel's contracted eye. The boy immediately went quiet and lost consciousness. His body fell to the mattress limply. "As much as I wanted to do this earlier to eliminate your pain, it only lasts for a few minutes." Sebastian murmured as he began tying Ciel's ankles to the posts on the footboard.

When he finished his work, Sebastian stepped back to take a look. Once his eyes registered what they were seeing, his temptation from last night came back, full force. Ciel was on his stomach, night shirt only, and his legs spread enough that the boy had only a bit more before he reached his limit. Considering the fact that Ciel was not at all flexible. His arms were above his head, as though he was hanging from them.

"Now why does the idea of young master being tied down to a bed sound so appealing?" The demon murmured as he untied the boy's wrists and took off the night shirt. He then retied them, a little farther apart this time, again to the headboard. Sebastian covered his young master with sheet up to mid-back before he could lose all sense of his control.

Just as Sebastian was getting a rag ready for Ciel to bite down on, the boy woke up. A delightful moan pushed passed his lips as he lifted his head. Ciel's face instantly turned red as he realized his position. He was tied down. To a bed. Completely naked. Right in front of his butler.

"Sebastian..." The boy growled half-heartedly, trying to contain his feelings so the elder wouldn't smell them out. "Why am I completely naked?"

Sebastian placed the small bags of ice onto the boy's back, smelling a mix of emotions coming from his master. "I can't only lower your night shirt half way to get your back if your hands are tied above your head." Sebastian answered as the boy flinched at the cold ice.

"And did you have no time to at least dress me in a pair of trousers?!" The boy demanded, face aglow with a blush.

"No young master. Knocking another demon unconscious like that only lasts about two or three minutes. I used that time to finish tying you, remove the ties, undress you, tie you again, get a rag ready for you to bite down on, set the towel, and prepare the ice. Are you uncomfortable like that?" Sebastian asked suddenly.

Ciel put his head down on the pillow. "What did you expect? I dislike being at your mercy." The boy bit his tongue when he realized what he'd just said.

'My, young master, is that how you think of it?' Sebastian thought, the old temptation getting stronger.

Sebastian suddenly gasped. "What is it?!" Ciel demanded.

The butler added more ice to the lumps. "The lumps are turning brown again, but the base is becoming a reddish color." He explained hurriedly, fumbling with the ice and preparing the towel.

"So?" The boy asked. "What does that-" Ciel clamped his teeth together and growled lowly in pain.

"The wings are extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure right now. One wrong move could kill you young master." Sebastian said seriously.

Suddenly, Ciel froze up, feeling a movement in his back along with intense pain. "Sebastian, something just moved on my back." He whispered in fear, shaking. Sebastian had gone to get a brush and bowl of water in the bathroom.

The butler immediately came back into the room. "Ahh.." He said offhandedly. Then he instructed Ciel to open his mouth.

"Whatever for?"

"Apparently, they're coming out today. I would like you to clamp you teeth onto the rag to hold back screams." Sebastian said.

Ciel immediately followed his directions and squeezed his eyes shut. Then the pain hit. It was as though Ciel had been flung against a wall like a rag doll. Yet, his shoulder blades were taking all the pain. Ciel clamped his teeth on the rag and began panting through it. He withered in pain as thousands of needles were prickling the inside of his skin. No. It was more like thin blades, like knives, were cutting through him. Ciel felt dizzy and he continued to groan in pain over and over again. He raised he top of his back up and he set his forehead on the bed. He was on his elbows now.

Ciel suddenly stopped breathing all together with a sharp intake of breath. Sebastian's eyes grew wide as he figured out what was about to happen. He backed away, knowing there was nothing he could do at this point. Blood began to stream from the brownish lumps as the feathers of the wings cut through the boy's skin. Ciel gasped sharply and attempted to grind his teeth together through the towel. The wings in his back began to push passed his skin, 'elbow' piece first. Ciel threw his head back in pain, eyes open as wide as possible, and unable to breathe.

A sickening ripping sound filled the room as the wings finally made their way out, and Ciel released a final cry of agony. The wings stretched to their full length and out before the boy fell back onto the mattress, completely unconscious. Sebastian gazed at the bloody mess, and at the new pair of wings on his master's back.

Blood decorated the wings so much that the butler could not tell their color. Immediately, Sebastian took a towel and began to clean up the blood on the bed and his master's back. He wiped it all up and told himself that the sheets would need to be changed, washed, and pressed as soon as the young man was awake. Once he cleaned most of the mess, he threw open a window to rid the room of the smell and then sat down in the chair at the bedside. Sebastian set the bowl of water in his lap, and dipped the brush in it.

He set to work on cleaning the new wings, a gentle smile on his face. "If this isn't cleaned now, then the grease and blood will stain, young master." He said aloud, wondering if the boy could hear him.

He dipped the brush in the water from the bowl and gently grasped the new wings. They twitched almost every second, though the more Ciel calmed himself, the more the wings relaxed. The wing folded at his touch and he gently brushed it, not caring that the hairs of the brush were getting dyed in the blood. When he dipped it again in the water, most of the blood washed away, but dyed the water red. As he continued, the water began to darken in color and looked like a bowl of the red liquid. Sebastian smiled when the first wing was completely cleaned. And it had only taken him an hour and a half. The demon began on the other one just as Ciel awoke. He groaned and attempted to open his eyes.

"Sebastian..." He called softly. "Are you there?" He asked in a whisper.

"Yes, young master." Sebastian answered.

Ciel felt strange... But it wasn't at his back. "What are you doing?" He asked, hearing the demon making stroking sounds with something.

"I am cleaning your wings, young master. They might stain if left unclean. Especially with all of the grease and blood on them." Sebastian explained, not minding that Ciel hadn't heard him when he explained earlier.

Ciel breathed slowly, feeling so sore at his shoulder blades. "How long have you been doing that?" He asked.

"The process takes time, but it would be horrible if they stained." Sebastian answered. "How do you feel?"

Ciel sighed. "My limbs feel cold and heavy, like lead. My shoulder blades are sore, and my head is hot. Sweat is stinging my eyes so much that I can barely see. With every passing second, I feel like the wings are becoming more and more of a part of me. They twitch anxiously every moment as though they want to stretch..." Ciel trailed off as he attempted to shift them. "Can you untie me now?" He asked suddenly.

Sebastian quickly untied his master from the bed and resumed his brushing. "I see. Those are all normal side effects . They will pass by tomorrow. You may have a fever later tonight, but I seriously doubt it with your progress in growth. The pain will disappear by tomorrow as though it were magic, young master. For now though, you should rest." Sebastian finished.

Ciel nodded. "Oh and Sebastian?" He called softly.

"Yes, young master?"

The boy smiled weakly. "Thank you..." With that he snuggled back into the bed and fell asleep.

Sebastian smiled back without restrictions before continuing to clean his master's wings. "What trouble you are, young master." He hummed. Sebastian smiled gently when he realized what color the child's wings were. "Not black, or charcoal grey... But a beautiful slate color, with an indigo hue." Sebastian smiled. "It matches your hair, young master."

Ciel however, continued to sleep.

* * *

**Yay! Chappie end! I wonder of any of you have ever watched Hibane Renmei? In episode one, the girl sprouts her wings. So if you want more of a visual, you can look it up on YouTube. It's towards the second half of it. I found it kinda cool that both animes are licensed by FUNimation. Anyway, I hope no one is confused.. Any and all questions can be answered! Just drop one into a review or something. Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome! **

**~ Crescent T. **


	5. Skipping Stepping Stone: Dissociation

**AMC.5**

**Oh. My. God. I thought I posted this chapter! I'm so sorry guys! To make up for it, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow! I promise! **

**Please... Enjoy... And don't give up on me yet... T^T**

* * *

**Chapter name**: _When Skipping a Stepping Stone of Life: Dissociation_

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Ciel had woken up at around four thirty in the afternoon. He felt completely refreshed, no headache, no soreness, and no emotional turmoil. Ignoring his newfound feelings for Sebastian at the moment. Ciel rose from bed, finding that he had slept on his stomach the entire time. The young man slipped out of bed and stretched his arms over his head while letting out a yawn. The young demon walked to the window and threw it open, he could still smell sweat and blood in the room. But his reflection in the glass caught his attention.

He gasped, seeing his new "extensions" for the first time. His wings were small and right at his shoulder blades, but if he stretched them out, the feathers spread and they looked grand. Ciel hurried to the bathroom, where he realized that he was still naked. The boy ran to his bed and ripped the top sheet off to wrap it around himself. Then he quickly went back to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror.

"Amazing..." He breathed, admiring the color and realistic shine. No blood or grease stained his feathers, so Sebastian had done his work well. Ciel admired how the base of the wings were indigo, and then seemed to fade in color until they were slate. Ciel gently poked his wing, admiring how soft they were. He really adored them... Who wouldn't after going through so much pain for them?

Sebastian knocked on the door. "Young master? I am coming in." He stated, and walked in through the wooden door.

"Oh, Sebastian." Ciel greeted, nodding to his butler. "Good afternoon. How long was I asleep?" He asked curiously.

"About three hours or so, young master. How do you feel?" He asked, staying in the doorway of the bathroom. Sebastian leaned on the doorway and watched Ciel through the mirror.

"Refreshed." The young man answered. "Though I would like to take a bath. You may use that time to possibly change the bed sheets?" Ciel suggested, carefully maneuvering it so that Sebastian wouldn't be in the bathroom while he bathed. With his feelings just now discovered, he couldn't have the butler there while he bathed! It was embarrassing! Just the mere thought made his blood rush through his veins and his heart being hammering in his chest.

"Very well, young master. Soap or bubbles?" He asked, removing his tailcoat and then rolling up his sleeves.

"Bubbles." Ciel answered. The boy left Sebastian to his work as he went over and sat on his window seat, enjoying the breeze. It ruffled his feathers and caressed his cheeks. It was a peaceful afternoon so far. His aimlessly wandered through different topics for awhile before a voice snapped him out of his day dreaming.

"Young master, I've drawn the bath for you." Sebastian said as he appeared, bowing slightly.

"Oh." Ciel got up from his spot at the window seat and handed Sebastian the sheet he used as covering. "Thank you, Sebastian." He said before walking passed the butler and to the bath. He felt better if he ignored the fact that his cheeks were aflame.

Ciel left the door open just in case he needed his butler for something, but slipped into the bubbly bath. The bubbles completely covered the surface of the water, hiding the young man's body underneath. Ciel leaned back in the bath, thankful that his wings were high enough that he didn't crush them. He tried flapping them once, though they only twitched in response. He'd ask Sebastian how to work them later.

Right now though, was a time to relax a bit. Warm water caressed his skin and made goosebumps. Ciel shivered before scooting forward a bit and sinking into the inviting water. He blew bubbles into it using his mouth before he lifted himself up again. All of a sudden, when he leaned back again, his foot knocked the shampoo bottle into the tub. The boy found the shampoo and stared at it determinedly. He'd never washed his own hair before...

The young man remembered how Sebastian had often done it and mimicked his movements. 'First, squirt the shampoo into the palm of the hand. Next, uh...' Ciel thought. 'Just rub it into my hair?' Ciel did just that, and used both hands to massage his scalp the way Sebastian did. The boy almost clapped himself on the back when bubbles were left on his fingers. 'What now?' He asked. The boy looked back at the shampoo bottle and found directions. "What?! There are directions?!" He asked himself in surprise.

'Lather shampoo into damp hair, then rinse. Repeat for even better results!'

"Rinse?" Ciel blinked at the bottle in his hand.

A chuckle startled him and Ciel turned to find Sebastian at the door with a hand at his mouth. Obviously attempting to stifle his laughter. "What are you doing young master?" He asked breathlessly.

Ciel crossed his arms over his chest. "What does it look like I am doing Sebastian? I am _sham-poo-ing_." He clarified, emphasizing the word as though he were getting reading to spell it out.

Sebastian pressed his lips firmly together to keep his mouth shut, but his eyes twinkled with laughter. "With dry hair?" He asked.

Ciel blinked in utter confusion. "Excuse me?"

The elder demon was now biting his bottom lip to keep his laughter in. The young master's blank face! "Young master, you need to dampen your hair first to get any results." Sebastian explained. He came forward and grabbed the bucket near the tub. "That is what this for." The butler filled it with clean water and poured it over his young master's head.

Ciel sputtered. "I thought you did that after shampooing!" He exclaimed, grasping at any pieces of dignity he had left.

Sebastian chuckled. "You do it before as well, young master. I always have... Perhaps you weren't paying attention?" He asked.

"I obviously wouldn't. Especially since I usually bathe directly before bed. I would be too tired to notice." Ciel excused.

"Perhaps so." Sebastian agreed. The butler restarted the shampooing process again. "May I ask what possessed you to try bathing yourself?" The butler asked gently.

"I am no child Sebastian. Other men in London my age can bathe themselves." Ciel huffed.

"That would be because they are too poor to have someone do it for them." Sebastian explained. Then he dumped more water over the lad's head.

Ciel spat the water out. "Warn me before you do such a thing! I could've choked on that water!" He scolded.

"My apologies, young master." Sebastian chuckled. Ciel only huffed in response, mumbling how the butler didn't sound very sorry.

* * *

The day had gone smoothly, and since he'd slept so much, Ciel decided he wouldn't sleep that night. He sat in the sitting room of his bed chambers, merely wasting time by reading and thinking. His eyes simply looked over the words, not registering them into his brain at all. When he noticed this, the young demon slammed the book shut and tossed it onto the other sofa across from him. He laid down, thinking it was better for him to just relax.

But before he knew it, his thoughts were digging deep again. Sooner or later, he began to replay the days events in his mind. 'Sprout wings. Sleep. Wake up. Do nothing else...' A sigh filled with boredom passed through his lips. Suddenly Ciel shot up from his position. "Sebastian. Come here." He commanded.

The butler was inside the room within thirty seconds. "Yes, young master?" He bowed lowly before standing once more to face his master.

"I have a few questions, Sebastian." Ciel began. Sebastian made an _'hoo~' _sound and cocked his brow amusedly. "Why didn't I go through an emotional or character trait today?"

Sebastian leaned back onto the wall. "Simple, young master. Because it's-"

"Sunday?" Ciel interrupted. "Try again, Sebastian. It's Thursday." He gave his butler a look.

Sebastian furrowed his eyebrows. "It must be because your wings sprouted today. Perhaps if one is going through a physical change while still completing their emotional one, the physical change will cancel out the other." Sebastian tried.

Ciel thought on that. "I will accept that theory for now." He nodded. "But I want you to do a bit of research on it. "

"Understood, my Lord."

"And I have one more question. It has been bothering me since this afternoon. You recall the lesson you gave me on the laws of Hell?" Ciel crossed his legs on the seat and looked at his butler with eyes that saw into the soul.

"Yes, of course, young master."

"You told me the third law was to fill your annual quota of souls." Sebastian nodded. "Now Sebastian. How do you accomplish such a thing?"

Sebastian looked up into his master's eyes, completely stoney faced. "There are some humans who just won't be missed in this world." Sebastian explained with a smirk. "Criminals have impure souls, but their feelings of revenge can be quite satisfying." He said to himself at the end. "However, if a demon is nurturing a soul, he is also exempt from that law. This is because a nurtured soul is equal to the quota needed. Especially if the soul is special."

Ciel blinked at his butler slowly, with uncaring eyes. "I see, Sebastian. Just one more question." He rested his cheek on a fist.

The black butler looked up at his master in mild surprise. "Yes, young master?"

"When exactly did you plan to tell me of this?" Ciel waved a hand to demonstrate his point.

"Never, my Lord." Sebastian looked to the floor, feeling a spark of emotion similar to that of guilt.

Ciel sighed and shook his head. "You are dismissed Sebastian. Goodnight." He said.

"Young Lord?"

Ciel looked at his butler and answered the unasked question. He flashed a tiny smile. "I never ordered you to tell me Sebastian..."

Sebastian's eyes widened in surprise before he left the room. He'd just answered private questions by his own free will to his master... A sudden smirk spread across his face. "He's good... Really good." Just by changing his tone to one of 'commanding', he'd tricked Sebastian into revealing his answers...

In the darkness of the halls, Sebastian said, "Now, it is time to get ready for tomorrow."

* * *

Ciel awoke the next day, finding that he'd accidentally fallen asleep on the sofa. Calling Sebastian to change his clothes, he retreated into his own thoughts.

'I still feel as though I'm asleep...' Ciel thought to himself.

He blinked slowly every time he had to. His arms seemed heavy, but continued his work for him. The young demon's legs walked on their own, taking him to where he believed he had to go. Several times, in the middle of the day, he ended up standing in the garden when he snapped out of his hypnotic state.

During the last time he went, Sebastian had come by and slipped a new ring on his finger. It instantly turned a baby blue color and a large 'D' appeared in the middle with white lettering. Ciel felt as though he were watching everything from the back of his mind. As though he were dreaming reality. Or perhaps working on autopilot. He couldn't quite describe the feeling.

All Ciel knew was that when three o'clock rolled around, he'd finished two months worth of paper work, and it was only tea time. Seemingly sleepy eyes pried themselves from the stack of paperwork and to the to gonging clock.

Ciel blinked slowly at it. "Ah. It's tea time." He looked to the door expectantly, ready to begin their habitual ritual of pretending to eat and, like magic, a knock came through the door. "Enter."

Sebastian came into the room, carrying a silver platter. He opened the top to reveal a nice white plate with a silver fork on it and an empty cup for tea sitting neatly next to it. "Today's snack is red velvet cake, filled with white cream. The tea is New Moon Drop to compliment the velvet flavor of the cake." Sebastian explained.

Ciel picked up the tea cup and moved it in a circular motion as if to spread the heat. He smiled slightly to himself. "Hmm~ what a nice scent." Carefully, the empty tea cup was brought to his lips.

Sebastian set down the empty plate before him with the fork and bowed before disappearing. Ciel continued to 'play pretend' with his tea and snack. He didn't have a tea time anymore. Heck, he rarely ate human food! Half the time, Sebastian brought him empty plates, where he mimed eating out of habit. Even though he'd told Sebastian that he'd accepted his fate, he couldn't help but want to eat some human food! And what would the servants think if they noticed that their master wasn't eating?

Ciel dully lifted the silver fork and poked at empty air before raising the fork to his slightly open mouth. He was getting tired of this game. Sebastian preferred to leave the room when such a thing like this happened, so he didn't get anything else out of it. The game was getting old.

Ciel set down his fork tiredly before turning in his chair to see out of the windows. Somehow, he didn't feel physically tired from all his work. Neither did anything else truly affect him. His eyes wandered out of the window and around his land when noticed Finnian weeding the garden.

Well, that would certainly affect him.

Ciel threw open the windows and took a deep breath. "Finnian! What do you think you're doing?! You'll ruin the garden again!" He scolded loudly. The perky blonde jumped before turning around to see what his master was talking about. Immediately, he began panicking and crying aloud. Finnian quickly thanked Ciel before running off to find Sebastian, who could always, somehow, fix the garden.

Ciel shut one window pane and then sank back into his chair with a deep sigh. He looked to the clock, seeing that it was already five thirty, and picked his plate and fork up again. Perhaps by doing such silly pantomiming, he'd murder time.

Ciel poked at air again and bought the plate closer to his mouth before he let it slip from his fingertips and onto the floor. The young demon watched as the plate caught slightly onto the ribbon around his neck, untied it, and then fell to the ground. It shattered noisily, but the sound was dull and faded to him. Cool eyes gazed at the shards as he remained unmoving. In only a few seconds, Sebastian would be here and cleaning up the mess.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Ciel quoted as the door opened to reveal Sebastian with cleaning supplies. The smallest frown was on Ciel's lips, but the way his cheeks puffed out made him seem like he hadn't changed since the moment he became a demon. His more was suddenly as cold as before, and Sebastian could smell it.

The butler noiselessly bent down and cleaned the glass shards up. He threw both the fork and shards into the garbage can nearby before setting to work on the child's ribbon. With an emotionless face, Sebastian began to tie it.

"Would you prefer it to be tighter?" Ciel asked, emotionless eyes looking up at his butler. They remained blue. No red color.

To Sebastian, it was almost as though the child was completely hypnotized to think that nothing had changed since the maturing process began.

"No, young master." Sebastian answered.

But that was dissociation. Where one completely blocks out something from their mind. Repressed memories was most often the case, and it seemed like the young master was no different.

"You're dismissed." Ciel said coldly.

Sebastian bowed before leaving the room, taking the empty tea cup with him. 'So young master has temporarily forgotten all about the maturing process. What joy.' He thought sarcastically.

He'd believed that demons rarely did dissociation for a character trait, but it seems like Ciel's conscience had picked that as a weak point within himself. Perhaps, because of his terrible past, the young master chose dissociation as a way to suppress the memories in his mind.

Ciel was only on the letter 'D' and Sebastian was already getting bored. When would something more entertaining happen? Would the young master do 'E'? Or would he, perhaps, skip that one too and go straight into 'F'? What exactly made him so special that he'd be able to skip some phases? Sebastian's mind was buzzing with questions. Perhaps he'd do the research more to ease his curiosity than for completing his master's orders.

The butler checked on the three servants before taking a break. He could do no work while filled with such anxiety. The butler sat in the parlor and watched the clock. This time, he was the one waiting for the clock to reach six pm. Fingers drummed against armrests, and eyes lazily swept across the room. Once in a while, the wine red eyes would flicker towards the clock before continuing their wandering.

Sebastian was utterly bored out of his mind. He could tease the young master, but with this phase, the young demon would hardly notice anything. Mey-Rin could be screaming her head off in the next room and he wouldn't bat an eyelash until it was absolutely unbearable.

A few minutes of wandering thoughts led to a the small clock on the stand begin to play a musical tune. Sebastian's eyes light up. He had never been inside this room at the start of a new hour! He hadn't known that he clock was like a music box... A smile graced his lips. Sebastian would never admit it, but he was just about as enamored with musical trinkets as he was with felines. Music boxes were the only _good_ things humans have ever made on their own.

The elder demon then realized the reason for its chiming. It was officially six pm. He hurried to find his young master, who he believed had most likely fainted in his office... And probably knocked the ink bottle over his paperwork.

In a matter of seconds, the door was flung open to the office, but inside was a smiling Ciel. "Young master?"

With his elbows on the desk, and chin resting upon entangled fingers, Ciel looked almost regal. "I, as you like to say, 'skipped' over fainting today Sebastian. I merely had a slight dizzy spell." He smiled triumphantly.

"Thank goodness!" Sebastian out a hand to his chest playfully. "For a moment, I thought something was terribly wrong." He smirked.

Ciel almost pouted. Almost. "What phase was it today Sebastian? I do not recall anything after you slipped this ring onto my finger." He said, holding up the small item. "What is this anyway?"

"The phase was dissociation. A character trait your conscious has chosen as a weak point. The ring is of a special jewel that changes color according to the atmosphere around the wearer." Sebastian explained bluntly, but Ciel paid no heed. "It was invented for maturing demons, and comes with a small book of character traits or emotions that a demon may go through. Such a thing is very useful in the demon realm." Sebastian finished.

"I see." Ciel fought back a blush, doing all he could to ignore it. After all, slipping a ring onto someone else's finger like that could mean other things too. Ciel coughed into a fist at his thoughts, pushing back the blush that had sprung across his cheeks. "So how was your visit back home? Did you see any family?" Ciel began, making sure to change topics.

"It was a brief trip young master, considering the fact that I had to leave you sick at home with three idiot servants. I merely went out for the ring and medications." Sebastian answered, silently wondering why the young demon had asked about his family.

"Ah, I see. Did you _want_ to visit your family, Sebastian?" Ciel watched his butler closely, curiosity brimming in his eyes.

Sebastian immediately shook his head. Too quick for Ciel's taste. The young demon briefly narrowed his eyes at the reaction. "No, young master. My family understands that I have taken a liking to life here on Earth. The only person who would, perhaps, insist on seeing me would be my mother." Sebastian thought aloud, rubbing his chin.

Ciel's heart skipped a bit. That was not a pose he'd ever seen Sebastian in, and he quite liked it. Immediately, those thoughts were put aside for later. "Oh? What type of person was your mother?" Ciel asked carefully.

Sebastian, who had heard Ciel's strange heartbeat, took it to mean that the young master was plotting something. Yet the butler could not find any way that the information could be used. "Her name is Amore della Anima." Sebastian began.

Ciel's eyes lit up. "Italian?" He asked excitedly.

"Yes." Sebastian nodded, mentally praising the master. "It means Love the Soul. However, my mother seemed to like translating it to 'Love of the Soul.'" Sebastian's eyes rows furrowed at this. "I cannot imagine why..."

"Perhaps because she enjoys the demonic suggestion behind the name?" Ciel tried. "Love of the Soul sounds more like a name for a demon than Love the Soul." He pointed out.

"Perhaps." Sebastian then plowed on. "She was not exactly the motherly type..." The butler seemed to he struggling to find the correct explanation. "For example, if you had slapped a person, they she would've asked, 'Did you slap their other cheek too?'"

Ciel blinked, then chuckled heartily. "Oh dear..." He sighed. "So the... _eccentric_ type of mother." Ciel smiled at his butler. "Where did your discipline come from then?"

Sebastian twitched. "Ah, you don't quite understand. She'd only say such a thing if who I slapped had been younger than I. My mother was one hell of a teacher when it came to discipline." Ciel then allowed laughter to push passed his lips at the butler's obvious uncomfortableness.

"What of your father?" Ciel asked.

However, a large explosion resounded through the mansion walls. Sebastian winked at his young master. "Perhaps we will carry on this conversation in more detail later." He said in good bye before disappearing through the doors.

"Che." Ciel scoffed. There goes his chance to learn more about Sebastian. The young demon mentally cursed whoever had caused the explosion. However, a thought interrupted him.

Could curses possibly work since he was a true demon?

Ciel frowned, piling that question with the rest in the back of his mind to ask Sebastian about later. Suddenly, the young man sunk into his comfortable hair and just put aside some time to think about Sebastian. He'd already done two months worth of paperwork, so he didn't have to work anymore for quite some time. And he was alone, having a bit of free time. It wouldn't kill him to have a little bit of time for idle thought.

Thoughts of what the butler could be doing at the very moment suddenly crowded his mind. His butler, elegantly laying out he table cloth. His butler, setting the table with plates and utensils. His butler, smiling at those three idiotic even though he was scolding them for making such a mess.

Ciel smiled before his mind shifted to his butler's overall appearance. He hadn't thought of it much before, but Sebastian was quite handsome. Dark raven hair that split perfectly into side bangs, with some strands falling a bit out of place. Pale skin that almost matched his own, and seemed to sparkle in sun light. Wine colored eyes that saw into the soul with more understanding then any other living being. Full lips that seemed to always fall into that taunting smirk, as though it was routine.

Ciel briefly wondered what would happen if he k-k-kissed those lips. Immediately, his heart rate went haywire, and his face aflame. Ciel continued in a daze. What would happen if he touched the fangs that only appeared during that taunting smirk? Would Sebastian bite him?

Thoughts of Sebastian sucking on his daring fingers made the boy shift in his chair. His thoughts were clearly drifting to more sexual ideas. Ciel tried to stop himself before it got too bad, but it was much too late to do so.

'Sebastian and I continuing after kisses? What was next; touches?' A part of Ciel wondered. Visions of Sebastian's ungloved hands trailing up and down his torso had the boy sinking even lower in his chair. That was when a pull on his pants made him look down. 'Oh no...' Ciel thought, dread bubbling in the pit of his stomach as he realized what had just happened.

Indulging in such sexual fantasies seemed to be a lot more trouble than what he had bargained for. Ciel stared down at himself, at the tent in his pants that stood as proud as a peacock. He quickly rolled himself under the desk and made his thoughts drift to tonight's dinner, or even the flowers outside. It was a success.

Two knocks came at the door and Sebastian entered. "Young Master-" he stopped in his tacks, his hand still on the door handle. Confusion swept over his face as he sniffed the air, but that quickly changed into a taunting smirk. "My, my, such a naughty young master." Sebastian cooed. "What were you thinking about?"

Ciel's cheeks wasted no time in brightening up. "None. Of. Your. Business." He ground out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sebastian happily approached his young master's desk, smiling coyly. He put one hand on the desk and leaned towards his master. "We're you... Perhaps thinking of Lady Elizabeth?" He asked, still smiling coyly like a cat who had discovered where its prey was hiding.

Immediately, the blush on Ciel's face died and hurt was slightly reflected in his eyes. "Of course not, Sebastian. I would never think that way." Sebastian blinked at his young master's firmness. Perhaps he truly had gotten it wrong?

The elder demon just smiled at Ciel. It was neither realistic, or fake. Just right enough to cover an awkward situation. "Then perhaps you would like to come down for dinner?" He asked.

Ciel watched his butler's behavior. "...Alright." He said, still clearly hurt about where Sebastian's train of thought had led him. Ciel walked passed his butler, briefly knocking the other's arm as he passed. Then he was gone.

Sebastian still stared into the room, his little poker face crumbling to show shock. Had he really gotten the wrong idea? Perhaps. However, one question still plagued him.

_If not Lady Elizabeth, then... who?_

* * *

**That's a wrap! How'd you like that one? The ending was probably my favorite part. We advanced in emotional traits, learned about Sebastian's family, and plowed on a little bit for their romance. That's a good amount of plot in this chapter huh? ;) **

**Credits: Thanks to: Paxloria, who had the brilliant idea of what Sebastian does to fulfill his yearly quota. It was ten times better than mine! Thanks Pax! ;D **

**~Crescent T.**


	6. Extra!

**AMC.6**

**Hey guys! This is the chapter I wanted to post to make up for making you guys wait so long (for last chapter). It will replace the letter 'E' because I couldn't find a good one for Ciel to use, and I thought it was a little too early for another physical change. **

**The title will focus on Sebastian this time around! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Extra****: **_Eager to Help_

* * *

**Normal POV**

* * *

Ciel had silently eaten a small dinner of human food and went to bed early. When Sebastian had followed him, he briefly and cooly told the man that he wouldn't need his assistance for the night. Though perhaps such a thing was a bad idea on his part. Undressing was quite a difficult task when the buttons are on the back.

Ciel growled. "I hate buttons!" He exclaimed as he stood with his back to his mirror. Small and short arms were attempting to reach his back, and his wings were making it even more difficult.

Ciel scrunched his face up in annoyance. He almost regretted telling Sebastian off for the night. Keyword there being 'almost.' Ciel threw off his pants, stockings, vest, ribbon, and eyepatch until he was standing only in the dress shirt underneath. Perhaps he wouldn't have to change after all.

With this idea in mind, Ciel threw himself into the invitation of his cool sheets. He lay on his stomach, limbs spread out around him. The young demon didn't dare sleep on his back until Sebastian could train him to put his wings away. Though at least Sebastian was able to it holes in the backs of his favorite outfits so he'd be comfortable. However, sleeping on his stomach was not something Ciel was accustomed with, and therefore, it was uncomfortable. In frustration, he turned over to sleep on his side, elbows close together, and knees drawn up. Now _this _ was a much better position.

Thoughts of his day flashed through Ciel's mind. He found it strange that he barely recalled any of it except for Sebastian, the ring, and the garden. All memories of this flooded his mind until had the sudden urge to see it all over again. As a result of such thoughts, Ciel rose, and carried himself to the window. He quietly unlocked it and threw the windows open to the sight of the forest.

He'd forgotten that his bedroom window did not show the garden...

Ciel's face scrunched up in annoyance for the second time in fifteen minutes. Finding the resolve to actually go outside and see it for himself, the young demon searched for his slippers. Locating them underneath the bed, the boy slipped them on and crept to his door. Sebastian _absolutely_, _positively_, _must not_, _under any_ _circumstances_, be alerted. Ciel didn't have the heart to see the man face-to-face at the moment.

Petite fingers carefully curled around the door handle, and gently pushed it down. The door hasn't made a single creak or click as of yet. Quieter than a prowling cat, Ciel hugged the wall with his back and walked along it. Doing so prevented the floorboards from creaking underneath his weight.

Ciel's breath came out in small huffs, but only out of human habit. He quickly silenced himself and continued, acting as if he were walking on a ledge made of rock. When Ciel came to the stairway, he stood, frozen in place. The stairs would surely creak noisily under his feet.

"Now what?" He muttered, biting on his lip in deep thought. "Slide down the banister?" Ciel imagined himself laughing sarcastically, since he couldn't. The young demon did a double take. "Actually..."

'That's quite a sufficient idea.' He continued mentally, stopping himself from creating anymore noise.

Ciel gently settled onto the newly polished banister (curtesy of Mey-Rin), and readied himself. Pale hands tightly gripped the long piece of wood, making his knuckles seem even more white than they already were. Biting his lip once more, Ciel let go.

It took all he had not to scream, terrified of the possibility of falling and the insane speed. After all, polished banisters were the easiest to slide down. However, by some miracle, his slippers managed to save him from sliding on the floor when he landed. This allowed his not-so-flawless landing to be almost silent. Due to the noisy thunk, Ciel had froze in place, listening for any sign of Sebastian coming. There was none and the young demon released a sigh of relief.

Ciel smiled, looking back at the banister. When was the last time that he had actually LET GO and did something thrilling? Not 'murder case investigation' thrilling, but the FUN thrilling type. A sad frown crossed over his face. It had been awhile since he'd done such a thing. However, this was his life now. There was no changing the boring cycle.

Ciel continued to the kitchen, not worrying about creaky floorboards at all. The first floor had been remade by Sebastian because of the several guests he'd been receiving as a new Earl. Such a thing now played to his advantage.

Once he reached the kitchen, he passed through it and over to the servant's entrance. Perhaps this would become the most difficult part. The last thing Ciel needed was to open the door and find a servant standing there. With a frown etched on his face, Ciel pushed his ear up against the door and listened closely. Instantly, as he began focusing with his ears, Ciel could feel his senses stimulating. It was as though someone had turned up the radio frequency on his ears.

Crickets, the ruffling of plants, a rabbit hopping around and its racing heart beat... No sign of human life, or he'd hear a heart beat. Ciel smiled as he gently pushed on the door, but being sure that it didn't creak. A slender foot finally touched the grounds of freedom, and Ciel hopped out. Behind him, the door slowly clicked shut.

The young boy stared up at the sky, a yawn making him realize that he was actually tired. Ciel stretched his arms over his head before continuing his walk to the garden. Shadows danced in the corners of his mansion, laughing at how the moonlight couldn't touch them. Nocturnal animals continued to watch him, expecting danger from the abnormal existence in the night. Ciel liked the night. It was comfortable. He felt like he could finally breathe.

Ciel continued walking, even though he felt like he was being pulled down by his back. Wings were composed of hollow bones, but that did not mean that they weren't heavy. Ciel had a slight problem adjusting to his new weight, so walking had become a slightly challenging task. They also made him feel fragile and weak, because he could do nothing but make them twitch. This walk would most likely benefit him; in the means of rehabilitation, of course.

As he walked along the path next to his mansion, Ciel got ready to turn the corner. However, as he did, the main bone in his miniature wings slightly grazed the bricks composing the corner. Ciel's throat made a strange sound, and his feet were firmly planted to the ground.

_"Th-That hurt!" _He hissed, falling to the ground. Ciel's small hands wrapped around his upper arms as he withered in pain. Pain was something the young Earl was not accustomed to, causing him to be overly sensitive about it.

Sebastian had warned him to be careful with his wings. That injury would be painful because they had yet to develop. Ciel hadn't even imagined it'd feel anything like it was feeling like now. It was almost as though he'd just scraped his knee, and had someone pour white alcohol on the wound to cleanse it. To think he'd suffer this much pain because of one bump against the wall! This was irrational! Impossible! Against his religion! ...Never mind the last one.

Breathing heavily, the young boy put a hand to the wall and brought himself to his feet, determined to continue. It had only taken a few minutes for the pain to numb away, but he feared that that area of his wings was now sore. Ciel glanced backwards, hopping to catch a glimpse of them and spot a surface wound. He was able to after feeling like the nerves at the back of his eyes would rip.

Once he reached the stupid garden, Ciel sat down in the chair at the small table. Becoming more aware of his surroundings, Ciel sat forward a bit (to avoid hurting his wings anymore) and concentrated. The forest around his home was composed of evergreen trees, making sure that, under no circumstances, would the garden seem like a blank canvas in the winter. There would always be spots of green. Though it wasn't winter now, and when he focused on his hearing, he could hear owls hooting far away. Of course, Ciel couldn't measure distances as of yet.

The next noticeable thing was the grass; it wasn't dead. Usually, the grass was dead because of Finnian and his method of spraying weed-killer everywhere. Though tonight, it was extremely lush, and swayed softly in the small breeze.

After that was the beautiful white roses he adore so. Why couldn't there be black roses? Why should only white ones grow naturally? After all, wherever there is white, there is black. Ciel frowned at the unfair flowers, eyes seeming to stare at them as though they were a wrong existence in this world. In the very back of the area, a wilting white rose could be seen. That caught Ciel's attention instantly.

'It's dying...' He thought, blinking at it. Then a bitter smile danced across his lips. 'How lucky...'

What would death feel like? Painful? Like he was being released? What he was wasn't fair. A human-turned-demon was a human who had just been shunned from the Cycle. The cycle of life; born, live, die. What he was, was a monster. Standing in solitude at the crossroads of life and death. It was as though he had been walking towards death at one point. Yet, time seemed to slow with every step he took, and eventually, he was frozen in the middle of it all.

Ciel was immortal. Was it that important to other humans? To be able to outlive another being, born just like you? To have the power of God? To have cheated death? Humans were wrong about immortality. There was nothing amazing about it. Just eternal solitude, like a piece of coal thrown off the transportation train and left out of the cycle.

The only thing that could make immortality worse, was knowing who would die before it happened.

Before he knew what he was doing, Ciel's hand was directly underneath the wilting flower. Then, it was plucked from it's stem, without him having to touch the thorns. Ciel stepped out of the bushes and sat back down, noticing that his dress shirt had been torn in places, and that his once flawless legs now had small cuts decorating them.

He had just ended a life. A small one, but a life nevertheless. Almost as though he were in a daze, Ciel began to steadily pluck the petals of the rose. A sudden memory of Elizabeth flashed through his mind.

* * *

***flashback***

_"Ne, ne! Ciiiiieeeell~! Are you listening to me?" A young Lizzie was directly in a young Ciel's face. Her rosy cheeks puffed out eyes locked with Ciel's. The child's hair was in it's usual pigtails and she was wearing a lacy pink dress. _

_Ciel snapped out of his daydreaming. "Huh?" He asked stupidly. Lizzie fell into peals of laughter, and Ciel's face turned pink. "It's not that funny, Lizzie!" His face scrunched up in embarrassment. "Now what were you saying?" _

_Lizzie looked up into her fiancé's eyes. "I was talking about a tale Mama told me!" Excited emerald eyes were gazing at the roses on the table. They were sitting at the same table outside, and Ciel's dog, Sebastian, was laying underneath it. _

_"Oh? What was the tale about?" Ciel asked, his curiosity piqued._

_Lizzie giggled. "Flowers!" Ciel wasted no time in deadpanning. _

_"Okay..." Ciel tried, feigning interest in the topic. _

_"Mama said that if you pick off the petals of a flower, and chant two phrases over and over again, you can find out if someone loves you or not!" Elizabeth released a shriek of pleasure. _

_'Yuck...' Ciel thought. With a strained smile on his face, Ciel continued. "How do you do it?" He asked. _

_"I'll show you!" Elizabeth said immediately, grabbing a rose off of the vase on the table. "Watch." She instructed sternly, acting like her flower arrangement teacher. _

_Ciel nodded in reply. _

_"He loves me..." Elizabeth plucked a petal. "He loves me not!" Then another one was gone. "He loves me... He loves me not!" Her phrases continued, and Ciel watched on with curiosity as she finished up. There were only a few petals left now, and Ciel couldn't help but wonder about the results. Then the final petal fell. "He loves me!" Elizabeth shrieked with joy. _

_Ciel blinked at her. "How do you know it's true?" _

_"It wouldn't be such a famous and old story if it wasn't true right?" Elizabeth pointed out. _

_And being as innocent as children could be, they both believed it. _

***end of flashback***

* * *

Ciel's face went red as an idea popped into his head. 'Do I dare live out the cliché?' He asked himself, but his hands had already begun to move. The boy counted how many petals he'd already plucked off and began with those first.

"H-he l-love me..." He counted the first. "H-He lo-oves me not." Then the second. "He loves me.." And finally the third, with more confidence.

Ciel continued to pluck at the small petals, murmuring to himself the entire time. He was about midway right now, and there had been a lot of petals so far. They usually held about twenty five to thirty. He was at fifteen at the moment.

Then it was done to the final five. "He loves me not!" One down. "He loves me..." Two down. "He loves me not!" Three down... Ciel stopped there. After all, it was easy to predict the rest. The flower was dropped to the ground, joining it's scattered petals one more time. "He loves me not." A bitter smile crossed his face.

"There are more flowers young master, I wouldn't let just one stop me." Sebastian's taunting voice behind him made him jump and turn around.

There was his butler, holding an entire bouquet of roses in his hands with a smile on his face. He then handed it to Ciel. "Please, do continue! It's very amusing."

"You expect me to continue such a thing for _your_ entertainment?!" Ciel barked. A small blush covered his face as he twisted a fresh, thornless rose in his fingers. "Besides, Lizzie never said anything about continuing it with more flowers..." He muttered to himself.

"Ah, but young women have anyways." Sebastian said. "Do continue young master. I would like to see the results." He urged, smiling happily as he sat across from Ciel at the table.

"A-Alright." Ciel looked away. "Just this once!"

"Of course."

So Ciel continued his little ritual. Continued it until there were no more petals left at all. His face had been beet red the entire time, and he realized that he was being stared at, but he lived through it.

Sebastian had escorted him to his room once more before departing, leaving Ciel to his own thoughts.

He was very happy with his results. After all...

_"He loves me..." Ciel repeated replaying the image of the last petal falling to the cool ground. _

_"Congratulations young master!" Sebastian had applauded him. _

Ciel sighed. "If only he knew..." He whispered, rubbing his temples. Why was Sebastian such a good person at times like this? Why was he so eager to help him out with the flowers, even though he had no idea who Ciel was talking about?

It just didn't seem fair. Not at all.

Ciel found that he'd been successfully worn out, and collapsed onto his bed. Tomorrow would bring training for his wings, or as Sebastian liked to call it, "rehabilitation." The young demon could see where the butler was coming from with this idea, though the word made him seem as though he had been sick. Ciel had only chosen "training" for lack of a better word.

The point was, tomorrow was bound to be difficult, and he needed a good night's sleep. Ciel relaxed, letting go of any stress. In no time at all, he was floating on the lulling waves of unconsciousness.

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**Yay! How was that for a present! It was kinda cute and kinda angsty, so... The perfect combination! **

**Again, thank you so much to everyone who waited so patiently for last chapter! I will update sooner next time! **

**Ja ne! **

**~Crescent T.**


	7. The Foreign Feeling of Guilt

**AMC.7**

**Explanation: Lost my iPod charger. Again... -_-" But the good news is, I'm gonna start using my PC to type my stories! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own no characters. Sadly...**

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**Chapter Name: **_The Foreign Feeling of Guilt_

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**Normal POV**

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Ciel woke up with a sense of dread in his stomach so heavy, that he stayed in bed for a few moments in shock. When he sat up, it was almost as though a lead weight had suddenly been dropped onto his frail shoulders. Ciel had a difficult time swallowing his own saliva when he rose from bed.

"Se-" Ciel immediately clamped his mouth shut. _The feeling _(since he didn't know what else to call it) intensified ten fold just by thinking about his jet-black butler. The young demon screwed his face up as though he was in great pain. "Sebastian." He choked out, finding it hard to allow the name to escape his throat.

The elder demon just then strolled in. "Good morning, young master. I am slightly surprised to see that you have awoken on your own today." He smiled, approaching the child.

Ciel couldn't bring himself to meet the butler's eyes, and flinched away from his touch. "As am I." The young demon muttered in reply.

If Sebastian had noticed Ciel's strange behavior, he didn't say so. The butler swiftly changed the young man's clothing for the day, being extremely gentle with the wings. In no time at all, Ciel was changed and ready to face his day. Sebastian had chosen to dress the lad in looser clothing for the training they had scheduled.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Ciel murmured absentmindedly as he walked passed the butler and out of his room. There would be no breakfast today.

The butler merely smirked to himself, making sure to tease his master about his favorite claim, "The words of thanks do not belong in the Phantomhive dialect."

* * *

Finnian was already putting on his gardening gloves to disappear into the weeds outside (not that there were any... Especially at the Phantomhive manor). Mey-Rin was spinning around and around in her laced boots, a feather duster in her hands. bard scurried around with ingredients from the servant's entrance to the kitchen. Heck, even Pluto, who Ciel completely ignored, was relaxing... at least that's how it seemed at the angle Ciel was looking at him in. Once the demon noted that all three were doing their jobs, he gave himself a slight nod and headed to his office.

Ciel sat down, almost believing that there would be more paperwork. Instead, the desk was cleared off, and no stack of important papers awaited him. The young demon silently berated himself for forgetting that he had done two months worth of paperwork not long ago. He around in his chair before gently kicking a window open.

Now he was utterly bored. Nothing to do until at least six tonight, which was when the training would begin. When things were like this, Ciel would end up reflecting on the things he'd been doing lately. However, instead of that, _the feeling_ from this morning crept up on him. His toes curled within his shoes at the sudden flood of emotions.

What exactly was this foreign feeling? He wanted to stand up and pace, or sit down and cry. The young demon almost wanted to run into someone's arms, bawling about something he had done. It was extraordinary. But most of all, a sense of extreme dread felt like a boulder had been dropped into the pit of his stomach.

Sebastian opened the door to his study and promptly back away, pinching his nose in surprise. "Oh dear, young master..." He said, voice coming out nasally. Ciel cracked a smile at that, but never met the demon's eyes. "What have you done this time?"

The young demon almost wanted to scream at his butler. "I did nothing Sebastian. I woke up, you dressed me, I checked on the servants, and came in here. I had been expecting to do paperwork, but it has disappeared." Ciel answered, keeping his eyes trained on the butler's nose instead of eyes. Which was upsetting, because Sebastian had such wonderfully wine colored orbs.

"Are you certain? What of yesterday?" Sebastian asked, removing his hand from his nose. Though the small organ of his body continued to crinkle.

"I did nothing then either, Sebastian. What is the purpose of these questions?" The young demon demanded, glaring at his butler's nose.

"Nothing, my lord. I just hadn't expected to smell 'guilt' coming off of you the entire time I served you." Sebastian teased, smirking at his master.

"...Sebastian, are you daft?" This time, Ciel did meet the demon's eyes, but quickly turned away. "Ciel Phantomhive, who had killed several for vengeance, feeling guilty?" It was an honest question. At least to himself. But his voice came out deadpanned. Was this what the gamblers these days called a 'poker face?'

Sebastian smiled and nodded, almost eagerly. "Yes, my lord. The question is, what are you feeling guilty about?" The demon butler snapped the youngster out of his musings abruptly.

Ciel screwed his face up in anger before chucking a well aimed fountain pen at the jet black butler. The butler dodged the small item just before Ciel spoke. "I. Am. Not. Guilty!" He growled. The young demon made sure that the last word was spat the butler.

"Ohh~? What's this? Is this denial I hear?" Sebastian teased, cupping his ear with one hand while smirking.

Ciel, not finding an appropriate item to throw at the butler, crumpled up an old (and useless) paper. He chucked that one at the butler's head too, making sure that it was aimed slightly to the right. When the demon dodged it from the side, he went directly into its line of fire.

"Get. Out!" Ciel growled, slamming his hands on the desk and glaring hotly at the butler before him.

Sebastian merely bowed and disappeared, but not without leaving one last trademark smirk. Ciel merely glowered at him as he left the room, and continued to do so even when the door was closed behind the elder demon.

Ciel Phantomhive guilty of something? Ha! Never!

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It had taken him three hours, but Ciel had finally managed to come to terms with the emotion he was forced into. He had stepped away from the entire situation and retreated into his mind, looking at his odd behavior with a psychologist's point of view. All of the odd quirks in his behavior today were, unfortunately, symptoms of guilt. And not only that, but _extreme _guilt.

It had taken him another hour to figure out who or what this extreme guilt was directed to. Ciel had nearly fallen out of his chair in surprise._ It was Sebastian. He was guilty about doing something to Sebastian..._ With that sentence, everything had clicked, and the sense of dread in his stomach grew stronger thann ever before.

He was finally feeling guilty about chaining Sebastian to him for an eternity as a butler. Oh_ shit_!

Ciel's head promptly fell onto the desk as he groaned. "This is terrible! Utterly terrible!" He huffed, fisting his hands over his head.

The young demon scrambled for a way to possibly fix this problem. And the only solution was to keep Sebastian away from himself. But at what cost? The other three servants would surely burn the mansion down while the jet-black butler was gone, and with Ciel inside too.

How long it had taken him to figure things out, Ciel didn't know. However, at one point, Sebastian walked in claiming it was time to conduct the training.

He was smiling kindly, only the smallest traces of a smirk on his face. "Young master, the training will be conducted in the garden this evening. I assume by now that the emotional trait has passed over?" His questioning gaze locking with Ciel's clouded one.

The young earl thought on the simple question posed before him. His fingers were tangled together, and his elbows on the dark wooden desk as his chin rested over small hands. A sharp gaze absentmindedly swept over the study as the young demon retreated into his thoughts. Sebastian felt a shiver run up his spine at the piercing blue eyes. The strong sense of guilt had suddenly decided to disappear for Ciel. The guilty ran away without his consent (at this, Ciel let out an involuntary growl), before he'd gotten the chance to properly analyze it. However, just because the emotion had been flushed out of his system the same way medicine was able to rid the body of a cold, didn't mean there weren't after effects. Oh, after effects. How he loved those two words. Not.

With the medicine metaphorically taken, Ciel was left with the after effects of the emotion. His subconscious had decided to bring to his attention the small amount of guilt he had always felt for chaining Sebastian to himself. Had he dealt with it earlier, this event, most likely, would not be happening! The young demon let out another growl, one that ripped passed his throat and vocal chords. Instead of facing the guilt, he had turned away like a coward! What kind of Phantomhive was he?! What game was he playing at?! What _dream_ was he selling himself?!

Ciel immediately stood, knocking his chair back, Sebastian's question long since forgotten. The demon butler (who was initially startled at the Earl's sudden movements,had been closely examining his young master's expressions. He watched as they flitted across his round and small face, like some sort of dance. From a blank one, to irritation, to sarcasm, and then to sheer anger. What could the child possibly be thinking about?

The young demon had turned his back to Sebastian, hands firmly clasped together behind himself as he stared outside the window. The butler believed that the young earl was reorganizing his thoughts, expressions, and _pawns_... before coming to join his side.

"Let's go." He clearly commanded, voice quiet and brows creased in thought. Ciel was planning something. Something drastic, and Sebastian could tell that whatever it was, would make him worry for the boy.

The demon butler silently followed his master through the halls of the mansion like a shadow. Ciel had remained quiet the entire trip, but his walk had remained as confident as always. Sebastian continued to silently observe his young charge, lips pressed into a thin line concernedly.

The elder demon stood before Ciel in the garden, immediately commencing the training. Sebastian forced the child to walk or jog along the paths of the gardens to allow him to readjust to his new weight. After all, the first step in good training was being comfortable with whatever you were working with.

The next step had been for Sebastian to do a brief check-up on the development of the wings. Unsurprising he found them already advancing very far in the stages of growth. After all, his master was extraordinary. Once this task was complete, Sebastian instructed the young demon in more mundane exercises, which Ciel endured without complaint. When the child was thoroughly warmed up, the elder demon switched focus onto the wings themselves. such as asking Ciel to twitch them.

"Slowly imagine the steps of flapping the wings, young master. Try it 'arc first.'" Sebastian instructed gently. Ciel's wings twitched violently at first, but the young demon focused, and the arc of the wing tilted downwards. "Yes, very good." Sebastian praised. "Now follow through with the rest of the wing. As though the feathers were dominoes falling over." The butler tried, knowing that this metaphor would help Ciel since the child refused to have an active imagination.

Immediately, the wing gently flapped, albeit the fact that it twitched violently in response to the movement. Still, Ciel found it difficult to flap the wing until about half way through the flap, where the wing would simply fall through due to gravity. Sebastian only nodded encouragingly, showering him with praises and smiles. Needless to say, Ciel was glowing.

Apparently, he had done very well for only his first day. Not that there was ever much to do on the first day. Everything had to be taken easily since he was only just getting started.

* * *

Ciel didn't know why or how he ended up here. Why he had suddenly found himself standing in front of a music box in his favorite parlor. Or why he was in deep thought while staring at it. What was he going to do with the trinket anyway?

Ciel ran a hand through his neat hair and sighed through his nose; a characteristic unfamiliar to him. Especially since he was known to be the calm and collected young Phantomhive Earl. Ciel shook his head; he knew exactly why he was standing in front of the music box clock.

The young Earl quickly located a land-line down the hall from the parlor he was in and dialed one of the only numbers he knew by heart. There was only one person who could help him find a gift for someone. But the problem was keeping the person in question (for the gift) secret.

"Hello, Midford family residence. How may I help you this evening?" A maid answered on the other end. Ciel guessed that she had been the closest to the phone.

"Good evening." Ciel greeted politely. "This is Earl Phantomhive. Is it possible for me to speak with Lady Elizabeth at the moment?" He asked, making sure to be extremely polite to increase his chances of talking with the blonde girl.

"Eh?! Ciel?!" The maid nearly dropped the phone in surprise.

The young demon felt taken aback. Why was this woman treating his name so informally? Then the penny dropped and Ciel cracked a small smile. "Well, if it isn't Paula."

"Y-yes sir." Paula answered immediately, beaming pleasantly. The Phantomhive boy recognized her! After a pause she continued, knowing that Ciel did not like to be kept waiting. "Lady Elizabeth is currently available." She stated, executing the part of a polite maid easily. "One moment please."

Paula raced up the stairs and burst into Elizabeth's room. "Lady Elizabeth!" She bellowed, her smile radiant. "Ciel Phantomhive is on the land-line downstairs, and he would like to speak with you.

The blonde, who had jumped up in surprise (from her bed) at Paula's sudden intrusion, squeaked. "Really?!" And then she was gone. So quickly that Paula had to blink several times.

"Ciel!" Elizabeth cheered as soon as the mouth piece of the land-line was in range.

The young demon on the other side smiled wearily. "Good evening, Elizabeth. How are you?" He asked politely.

"Lizzie." She scolded before continuing. "I'm perfectly fine Ciel! A little upset since I haven't seen you for awhile." Then in a much quieter tone, she continued. "Though we're supposed to continue pretending that you're dead, right?"

"Yes." Ciel answered grimly, tone evenly quiet. When the young demon had claimed that he was dead with funeral cards, Elizabeth had raced to his home so quickly that he had no time to escape farther than the road passed his home. Which was where he and and Elizabeth crossed paths. After many tears from the blonde, Ciel explained/lied that someone wanted revenge on him and that he had to pretend that he was dead. Elizabeth quickly agreed to help.

"Okay." The blonde nodded furiously at her ex-fiance's antics. Only she, Paula, and a few of Ciel's closest friends knew that the young boy was alive. Meaning that her parents were exempt, and that the marriage had naturally been canceled. "So Ciel, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ciel snorted on the other line. "You've been practicing you speaking tactics?" He joked.

"One word;" The pig-tailed girl began. "Mother."

At this, Ciel couldn't help but release a chuckle at the girl's serious tone. "Listen, Lizzie." He began in a friendly tone, using her nickname to get her to pay more attention. "I need a favor from you." Ciel informed her cheerfully.

"Really? There's something _I _can do to help you?" Elizabeth squealed, and Ciel knew he had her.

The boy smirked to himself. "I need you to accompany me on a shopping trip." The young demon said sweetly.

The young blonde immediately perked up at this. "A shopping trip? With Ciel?" She mumbled to herself in glee.

The Earl, however, heard her musings. "Yes, Lizzie. I need to buy a return gift," Ciel paused as he realized that the girl might take his words the wrong way. "Out of courtesy for someone." He finished triumphantly. "I've heard they're enamored with music boxes, but I am not." The young boy allowed his words to sink in as Elizabeth's brain figured out his problem.

"But _I _am." The blonde finished, proud that she had caught up to her best friend's train of thought. "So you need my expertise."

"Exactly!" Ciel cheered. "I always knew you had more wit then you were letting on." The young demon complimented. "And if you like, I can find something for you as a token of my thanks." He added, knowing that the Marchioness was smiling at the sweet deal.

Elizabeth had been sold; hook, line, and sinker. "Of course I'll help!" She chirped, smiling widely to herself. "To midtown London?" The girl asked, curious.

"Yes." Ciel answered. "Is tomorrow afternoon an acceptable time for you? It is a Sunday after all." The young boy made sure that his voice sounded as though he was raising an eyebrow.

"Of course. I have no plans for tomorrow afternoon." Elizabeth replied, chest blooming with the feeling of glee.

"Perfect." Ciel purred, smirking to himself. "Let us meet at Central Square tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock then." He decided.

"Alright." Elizabeth smiled.

There was a pause. "...Oh, and Lizzie?" Ciel called out to her quietly.

"Yes, Ciel?" The emerald-eyed girl blinked in confusion.

"You're free to think of this as the date I never took you out on." Ciel said gently before slamming the phone down into its holder and cutting off the line.

Elizabeth smiled at her friend's small amount of embarrassment. 'Oh Ciel. What about the time when we went on a picnic together?' She rolled her eyes in silent laughter.

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Meanwhile, the young demon in question was smirking evilly to himself. In a way more devious than Sebastian's own trademark smirk. This was perfect. All of the pawns were in place. Ciel trained his gaze on the land-line he was grateful for before turning on his heel and marching off to his room.

Little did he know, that just around the corner, a jet black butler had silently watched and heard _every word._

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***drops dead* Sooooo tired! I had this all typed on my iPod, and then my Wi-Fi needed to be reactivated (which is a pain in the arse). So I typed it all on my computer instead of sending it in an e-mail. Guess who's gonna storm the Comcast office after a goodnight's sleep?**

**Again, thanks for your patience everyone! I really dreaded writing the training session 'cause I had NO IDEA what they were supposed to do... So I made it as brief as possible! And... it's only the first day... The training will probably get more difficult later, but I won't go into too much detail within the story.**

** Adieu!**

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**Review replies!**

**Aubrey: T^T You really think so?! I'm so happy that you think that! I promise to continue! You'll be surprised about what's coming and how much I have planned.**

**Guest: 8D Yes, my lord! ...Or mistress? -_-"**

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**~Crescent T.**


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